Bombay High Court Orders Stalking Accused to Get Passport Clearance for Studies in Canada

The Bombay High Court has ruled in favor of a man accused in a stalking case, directing the city police and the passport department to issue a clearance certificate for his passport renewal. This decision allows him to travel to Canada for studies, overriding a prior police report that had blocked the renewal due to pending criminal charges.

In the court's recent decision, Justices G S Kulkarni and Advait Sethna underscored that the man had received authorization to travel abroad. The court quashed the prior negative report from Malad police and emphasized an existing order allowing the passport renewal and subsequent visa clearance by Canadian authorities.

The case stems from a 2017 FIR filed against the man for stalking and criminal intimidation. Despite the ongoing trial, he had been granted conditional permission to pursue education in Canada, which necessitated the High Court's intervention to resolve the passport clearance impasse.

(With inputs from agencies.)