Agency(New Delhi):
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of 11 people allegedly involved in cases related to obtaining passports using false and forged documents. This decision brings the total number of individuals facing prosecution to 69, across 46 FIRs under the Passports Act, 1967, since April this year.
The prosecution sanction, sought by the home department under Section 15 of the Passports Act, pertains to offenses listed in Section 12 of the act. These offenses involve obtaining passports and travel documents like visas using false, fabricated, and forged documents.
The Lt Governor expressed concern over the involvement of agents, often considered the ringleaders of such frauds, who mislead innocent people and yet remain untraced. He was informed that eight agents implicated in six cases remain at large.
Saxena expressed displeasure over the delays in action on such cases, noting that in one instance, there was a lapse of over 16 years. He emphasized the need to avoid such delays and pointed out that earlier instructions issued to the Delhi Police and the home department were not being followed, leading to undue delays in processing and submitting cases for prosecution sanction.
The Lt Governor directed the home department and Delhi Police to adhere strictly to the instructions, examine the reasons for delays, and identify responsible officers. He also urged the Delhi Police to intensify efforts to trace the agents involved in these cases, examine their roles, and expedite the processing of matters under the Passports Act.
In his approval for prosecuting the 11 accused, Saxena noted that each case was ‘fit’ for granting prosecution sanction under Section 15 of the Act, as the materials on record and the facts of each case prima facie make out a case against the accused. In one particular case, he also ordered the Delhi Police to examine the role of staff at the Regional Passport Office in Mumbai and relevant officials in the Maharashtra Police who facilitated the issuance of two passports to an accused in Mumbai.