Delhi court grants NOC to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to get new ordinary passport for 3 years

On Friday morning, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vaibhav Mehta reserved the order after hearing the arguments, during which Swamy opposed the application, saying it was "devoid of any merit" and that the passport should be issued only for one year and renewed every year.

A Delhi court on Friday (May 26) granted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a no-objection certificate (NOC) for issuance of an "ordinary passport" for three years. the Congress leader had moved the court after he surrendered his diplomatic passport upon his disqualification as an MP. 

"I'm partly allowing your application. Not for 10 years but three years," the judge told Gandhi's lawyer. The former Congress chief is an accused in the National Herald case in which BJP leader Subramanian Swamy is the complainant.

On Friday morning, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vaibhav Mehta reserved the order after hearing the arguments, during which Swamy opposed the application, saying it was "devoid of any merit" and that the passport should be issued only for one year and renewed every year.

"It is special case. The passport should not be issued for ten years. It seems wrong," he told the court. Swamy also contended that Gandhi's citizenship was under question since he had a British citizenship.

The submission was opposed by Gandhi's advocate Tarannum Cheema, who claimed that two petitions asking criminal proceedings on citizenship issues has already been dismissed by the higher courts. 

She urged the court to allow the passport to be issued for ten years since such relief has been granted by the higher courts in cases with much graver offences and in the present case, not even charges are framed.

The National Herald case is based on a private criminal complaint of Swamy against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others, accusing them of cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.