John Brittas Writes Letter to EAM Over Denial of Passport Renewal to Journalist R Rajagopal

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas strongly criticised the denial of passport renewal to senior journalist R Rajagopal.The renewal was refused after Rajagopal’s name was removed from the voter list during the SIR.

Brittas has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar seeking intervention in the matter.

In his communication, he questioned whether removal from the electoral roll can legally become grounds for denying passport renewal and urged the ministry to review the decision.

In his letter, Brittas argued that under the Passports Act, 1967, removal from the voter list is not listed by Parliament as a ground for refusing a passport. He questioned how such a change in electoral status could become a reason to block passport renewal.

Referring to Supreme Court judgments, Brittas stated that the right to travel abroad is protected under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and cannot be restricted on grounds outside the framework of passport law.

He also argued that denying renewal to a person who was originally issued a passport in 2005 and successfully renewed it again in 2015 indirectly raises doubts about the validity and credibility of documents previously accepted by the authorities.

According to Brittas, changes made under election laws should not automatically alter decisions taken by passport authorities under passport legislation. In his letter, he requested that the case be reconsidered strictly within the scope of the Passports Act, 1967 and that the ministry clarify that electoral roll-related actions are not, by themselves, a legal basis to deny passport services.