Delhi High Court orders restoration of ex-IPL chief Lalit Modi's passport

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today ordered restoration of the passport of former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Kumar Modi, paving the way for his return to the country.

A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru set aside the order revoking Modi's passport but made it clear that it was not expressing any opinion with regard to the alleged violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by him which are being examined separately by the authorities under FEMA.

Restoring his passport, the bench said the materials taken into consideration while revoking his passport were "extraneous and irrelevant". Further, the bench said the order revoking Modi's passport was invalid as it was in violation of Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression) and (g) (practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business) of the Constitution.

The bench also said there is a specific procedure and statutory provisions for default or non-compliance of summonses under FEMA and revocation of his passport for such default on the ground that it was in the interest of general public "was not lawful". "... extraneous considerations and irrelevant materials were taken into account by the officers under the Passports Act while rendering their decisions dated March 3, 2011 and October 31, 2011.

"This is also apart from the more serious issue of invalidity on account of violation of Article 19(1)(a) and (g). The Single Judge, in the impugned order dated January 16, 2013, in our view, did not examine these aspects of the matter.

"Since there is a specific procedure and there are specific statutory provisions for default in non-compliance with summonses under FEMA itself read with relevant provisions of the Income-tax Act and the Civil Procedure Code, the revocation of the appellant's passport for that so-called default (which is yet to be adjudicated upon), on the ground that it was in the interests of the general public, was not lawful," the court said.

On January 16, 2013, a single-judge bench of the high court had dismissed Modi's plea challenging the orders revoking his passport passed by the Regional and Chief Passport Officers on March 3, 2011 and October 31, 2011, respectively.

Lalit Modi's supporters celebrated after Delhi court decided to restore his passport. Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi said that Lalit Modi is free to use his passport anywhere as an Indian citizen.