NEW DELHI: Delhi L-G VK Saxena has accorded sanction for the prosecution of 11 persons including agents and others accused in cases of obtaining passports and travel documents by furnishing false and forged documents, based on cases made out against each of them under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967, officials said on Sunday. With this, the L-G has granted prosecution sanction against 69 persons, whose names have figured in 46 FIRs under the Act that came before him since April, 2023.
The L-G office said that while going through these cases in which sanction for prosecution was sought by the Home Department under Section 15 of the Passports Act for the offences enlisted in Section 12 of the Act for obtaining passports and travel documents like Visa on the basis of false, fabricated and forged documents, the L-G expressed concern that the agents who are co-accused and more often than not, kingpins of racket that take innocent people for a ride,remain untraced.
While dealing with these 6 cases, the L-G was informed that 8 agents involved have not been traced yet. Earlier, 40 FIRs in which prosecution sanction were granted had come to the L-G between April to
November, 2023.It further said that in the instant 6 cases, in which separate FIRs were lodged by Delhi Police between 2007 to 2019, the L-G has expressed displeasure over delays and pointed out that in one such case, in which FIR was lodged on 12.05.2007, the file has been submitted for his consideration on 30.11.2023, after a lapse of more than 16 years.
He underlined that to avoid undue delays in processing such cases, instructions had been issued earlier, which were not being followed by the Delhi police as well as home department, and there had been inordinate delay in processing and submission of cases for seeking prosecution sanction.
Saxena directed the home department and Delhi Police to adhere to the instructions and also examine the delay in the matter and fix the responsibility of erring officers. He said Delhi Police may be advised to intensify its efforts to identify and trace the co- accused/agents involved in these cases, to examine their culpability and expeditiously process the matters under the Passports Act.
Giving his approval for prosecuting the 11 accused, Saxena noted that all the cases are ‘fit’ for granting prosecution sanction under Section 15 of the Act as materials placed on record and facts of each case prima facie makes out a case against accused persons.
The L-G in one such case also ordered that Delhi Police be advised to examine the culpability of staff of RPO Mumbai as well as officials concerned of Maharashtra Police, which facilitated issuance of two
passports to the accused at Mumbai.
‘8 agents involved in 6 cases untraceable’
The sanction for prosecution was sought by the home department under the Passports Act for obtaining passports and travel documents like visa etc. on the basis of false, fabricated and forged documents. The L-G was informed that eight agents involved in six cases of forged documents have not been traced.