Delhi HC Directs Reissue of Minor's Passport Without Father's Name After Custody Relinquishment

Aligning Administrative Rules with Family Court Realities

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court granted significant relief to a single mother by directing the Regional Passport Officer to reissue her minor daughter's passport without mentioning the biological father's name.

The Court noted that the parents had gone through a court-approved settlement wherein the father voluntarily relinquished all custodial, guardianship, and visitation rights. The bench held that insisting on the inclusion of the father's name in such circumstances causes unnecessary procedural harassment and ignores the legal reality of the sole custody granted to the mother.