Reissuance of passport: HC grants two weeks’ time to Daler Mehndi for impleading respondent

Hearing the plea of Mehndi, Justice Sandeep Moudgil said that the application – which is pending with the Ministry of External Affairs/Regional Passport Officer, New Delhi – has not yet been declined and the fact that the competent authority issuing the passport against whom a relief and direction has been sought by the applicant-petitioner has not been arrayed as a respondent in the memo of parties. Thus, this court is not inclined to interfere at this stage.

“However, faced with the situation, learned counsel for the applicant-petitioner prays for some time to file an appropriate application for impleadment of necessary respondent along with amended memo of parties. The prayer is accepted and the applicant-petitioner is granted two weeks’ time to do the needful, if so, advised,” said Justice Moudgil.

As per reports, Mehndi’s revision petition before the high court challenging the orders of the trial court, which convicted him in an immigration fraud case registered in 2003, is pending.

On July 14, 2022, Mehndi was arrested and sent to jail after a Patiala court dismissed his appeal against a two-year jail term awarded to him in the immigration fraud case. The court of judicial magistrate, Nidhi Saini, had sentenced Mehndi to two years in jail in March 2018 after holding him guilty under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (conspiracy). Mehndi, who had secured bail, had challenged the order in the court of Additional Sessions Judge H S Grewal.