Visa Clearance Within 60 Minutes For Indian Cricketer KC Cariappa: Karnataka HC Lauds Union Of India
|The Karnataka High Court stated that the Union of India deserved emulation for granting an unprecedented visa clearance to Indian Cricketer KC Cariappa within 60 minutes.
During an earlier hearing of the matter, DSGI Shanthi Bhushan H. had assured the Court that “he would within 60 minutes of police clearance, get the second respondent to issue a clearance from its end.” The Court appreciated the DSGI in keeping up to his assurance.
A Single Bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna observed, “This Court would place its appreciation to the Ministry of External Affairs, second respondent, to clear the file before the second respondent, within an unprecedented 60 minutes, as assured by the learned Deputy Solicitor General of India, Sri.Shanthi Bhushan H…So thus, the Ministry of External Affairs and the second respondent, all for disposal of a file within 60 minutes. This action of the Union of India deserves emulation.”
Advocate Raghavan M. represented the petitioner, while DSGI H. Shanthi Bhushan appeared for the respondents.
The Cricketer filed a writ petition before the High Court to direct the Passport Office to grant police clearance for the issuance of a visa to travel to England to play cricket.
The Cricketer’s travel plans hit a roadblock as the police clearance certificate was withheld due to an ongoing investigation against him by his fiancée, who had lodged a criminal complaint against him. Since the matter was still under investigation, the Court had earlier held that the police clearance certificate for the issuance of a passport cannot be denied in the light of the Office Memorandum issued by the Ministry of External Affairs under Circular GSR 570(E) notification of the year 1993.
The Court had directed the police to accord the police clearance to the Cricketer. In light of these Directions, the Court noted that the Passport Office issued a visa clearance within 60 minutes from the date of issuance of the police clearance by the State.
The Court remarked, “In the light of the police clearance granted and the visa clearance is also in place, there would be no impediment for the petitioner to travel and the writ petition need not detain this Court for any direction, I deem it appropriate to dispose the same with the afore observed appreciation.”
Accordingly, the High Court disposed of the petition.
Cause Title: Sri K C Cariappa v. Union of India & Ors (Neutral Citation: 2024:KHC:12257)
Appearance:
Petitioner: Advocate Raghavan M.
Respondents: DSGI H. Shanthi Bhushan; CGSC Unnikrishnan M.; AGA Rahul Cariappa K.S.