This case is related to film actor Nitish Bhardwaj. His wife is an IAS officer in Madhya Pradesh. There is a family dispute going on between the two. Both of them have twin minor daughters who live with their mother in Bhopal. Both of them have to be honored at Oxford University, so they had applied for passport renewal to go to England.
By Arvind Dubey
Published Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2025 07:30:39 AM (IST)
Updated Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2025 07:30:39 AM (IST)
HighLights
- Nitish Bhardwaj took objection to passport renewal of daughters
- Important hearing held before the single bench of Justice Vinay Saraf
- Court gave renewal order to Bhopal Passport Authority
Naiduniya, Jabalpur. In the hearing of the case related to passport renewal of twin minor daughters of film actor Nitish Bhardwaj, Madhya Pradesh High Court has said in its important order that the consent of both the parents is not necessary for passport renewal. The consent of one person is sufficient basis.
The High Court justified its order by arguing that the right to travel abroad is a fundamental right.
Nitish Bhardwaj’s ongoing dispute with his IAS wife
- The family dispute between actor Nitish Bhardwaj and his wife Smita Bhardwaj, an IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been going on for a long time. His twin minor daughters live with their mother in Bhopal.
- Both daughters are to go to England for a book launch, where they are to be honored at Oxford University. His passport was expiring on January 16, so an application for renewal was made at the Bhopal passport office.
- According to passport rules, in case the applicant is a minor, written consent of both the parents should be obtained, but actor Nitish had refused to give consent to the passport renewal of his daughters.
- As a result, the passport officer did not renew the passport. The daughters’ mother Smita filed a petition against this in the Jabalpur main bench of the High Court. In this, a demand was made to issue orders for renewal.
Nitish Bhardwaj himself presented his side
Nitish Bhardwaj, present during the hearing before the single bench of Justice Vinay Saraf, while presenting his own side, stressed on the cancellation of the demand for passport renewal.
He also demanded an investigation, terming the documents presented by Smita Bhardwaj in favor of the petition as fake, but the court refused and clarified that since traveling abroad is a fundamental right, the parents have to file a petition for the renewal of the passport. Consent of both is not required.
Along with this, the court directed the Passport Authority of Bhopal to renew the passport in this case.
