Rahul Gandhi to be issued passport valid for 3 years: Delhi Court
1 min read 26 May 2023, 01:13 PM ISTEarlier this week, Rahul Gandhi moved a Delhi court seeking a no objection certificate to secure a fresh ordinary passport
PremiumDelhi Rouse Avenue Court on Friday partly allows the application moved by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by granting him a no objection certificate (NOC) for the issuance of a passport valid for 3 years.
Rahul Gandhi surrendered his diplomatic passport after he was disqualified as an MP on March 26 after being convicted in a criminal defamation case in Surat. The case stemmed from his remark about the surname "Modi."
He moved a Delhi court earlier this seeking a no objection certificate to secure a fresh "ordinary passport". Gandhi would be travelling to the US next week. On June 4, he is expected to address a public rally at New York's Madison Square Garden, concluding his week-long tour that includes a talk at Stanford University. It will be his first public rally in the U.S.
However, Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy opposed the plea saying that if the former MP is allowed to travel abroad, it may hamper the ongoing probe in the National Herald case.
Meanwhile, the court observed the matter is pending since 2018 and Rahul Gandhi has been travelling abroad. There is no such apprehension that he will flee away or abscond. The right to travel is a fundamental right, said the court.
The National Herald case, currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, stems from a private complaint lodged by Swamy in 2012. In his complaint, Swamy alleged that Associated Journals Ltd., the publisher of the National Herald newspaper, fraudulently transferred its assets to Young Indian. This transfer of assets allegedly involved Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, who owned 38% shares each in Young Indian.
