HC: Can single mumâ€™s kid be denied passport?

MUMBAI: Bombay High Court on Monday questioned whether a single mother could be denied a passport for her child at a time when live-in relationships are legally accepted.

The query came from a bench of Justice V M Kanade and Justice A R Joshi when told that the 4-year-old child of an unwed mother was yet to receive her passport. She was among three who challenged the passport authority's insistence to include the biological father's name.

The bench was told that two of the petitioners who are major have received their passports. The authority's advocate said the passport manual, which acts as a guide to the staff, was being revised keeping in mind the HC's various orders. The bench said the "manual is old" and does not take into consideration new developments and other judgments. The bench sought a list from a petitioner's advocate Raju Moray on "common problems faced" so that it can formulate questions for the Centre at the next hearing.

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