IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP No.3546 of 2009 Date of decision: March 5, 2009. Salinder Pal ...Petitioner(s) v. Passport Officer, Jalandhar ...Respondent(s) CORAM:HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SURYA KANT 1. Whether Reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment ? 2. Whether to be referred to the Reporters or not ? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? Present: Shri Sandeep Arora, Advocate for the petitioner. ORDER Surya Kant, J. - (Oral): Notice of motion. On the asking of the court, Mrs. K.K. Kahlon, Advocate, accepts notice on behalf of the respondents. The petitioner seeks a direction for renewal of his passport bearing No.A-70446980. The record reveals that the petitioner has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a case arising out of FIR No.76 dated 22.3.2002, under section 302, 323, 324, 326, 148, 149 IPC, registered at Police Station, Sadar Hoshiarpur. The petitioner was convicted by the learned Additional District Judge, Hoshiarpur in that case. He has preferred an appeal against his conviction and sentence before this court and pending appeal, the petitioner's sentence has been suspended and he has been released on bail. The petitioner's claim is that he is holding Indian Passport No.A-70446980, which was valid upto 11.1.2009. The petitioner applied for its renewal but the same has been withheld by the Passport Officer, Jalandhar on the basis of a police report in which the particulars of the criminal case, referred to above, have been disclosed. According to the petitioner, his conviction in a criminal case is no valid ground to withhold the renewal of passport. The petitioner is stated to have served the respondents with a legal notice (Annexure P-5) but no decision thereupon has been taken or conveyed to him. Having heard Learned Counsel for the parties , I am of the considered view that the question as to whether or not a murder convict is entitled for renewal of his passport, is a debatable issue and without reference to the specific provision, if any, in the Act or the Rules or any Policy, it is not desirable or expedient to express any final opinion at this stage. Suffice it to say that this aspect of the matter shall be kept in view by the Passport Officer while deciding the petitioner's claim, as contained in his legal notice. Consequently, this writ petition is disposed of with a direction to the Passport Officer, Jalandhar to decide the petitioner's legal notice by passing a speaking order, in accordance with law, rules and govt. policy, if any, and communicate the decision to the petitioner within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a certified copy of this order. March 5, 2009. [ Surya Kant ] kadyan Judge