Why this Congress worker is running from pillar to post to get his passport renewed

The Dadar resident had applied for the renewal of passport in 2018 and received the new passport soon after. However, the passport was cancelled and a fine of ₹5,000 was levied on him, as the subsequent police verification report showed a criminal case registered against him for

MUMBAI: It took an ordinary act of renewing a passport for Congress worker Sudarshan Mandlik, 49, to realise that his name features in Mumbai police records. Since then, the Dadar resident has been running from pillar to post to get a copy of the first information report (FIR) that that was registered against him. His appeals through applications under Right to Information (RTI) Act have also been futile. It’s been six years and he is still without a passport.

Why this Congress worker is running from pillar to post to get his passport renewed

The Dadar resident had applied for the renewal of passport in 2018 and received the new passport soon after. However, the passport was cancelled and a fine of ₹5,000 was levied on him, as the subsequent police verification report showed a criminal case registered against him for protesting outside actor Shah Rukh Khan’s house in 2007 was pending. The case reflected in CIAS (Criminal Antecedents and information System) and CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System) – a computerized system that maintains all-India crime data.

On October 27, 2018, when a harried Mandlik approached Dadar police station to enquire about the FIR, cops got in touch with Bandra police to ascertain that the person mentioned in the FIR and the passport applicant were same; they also sought details of the case and its status.

After checking the records, Bandra police replied that a case was registered against Mandlik, then aged 32, under Sections 37(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, along with other supporters who had gathered outside Mannat to protest against a purportedly controversial statement made by the actor. Mandlik and other protestors were detained at the police station and subsequently released. However, while digging up old records, it surfaced that an FIR was registered against Mandlik for violation of prohibitory order and that he was arrested. Details shared by the Bandra police showed that Mandlik was the same person who was booked in the criminal case.

The Dadar police then submitted a report to the Regional Passport Office (RPO), following which Mandlik received communication that his passport was cancelled and a fine of ₹5,000 was also levied on him.

“I was not even aware of the case and received no updates on the case since 2007. After my passport was cancelled, I approached the Bandra court to understand the way forward for the RPO to issue a new passport to me,” said Mandlik.

The Bandra police, however, opposed the plea, contending that he was arrested and released on bail and since the case was pending a new passport should not be issued to him. Despite the objection, the Bandra court issued an order to the RPO to renew his passport, directing Mandlik to provide his travel details to the court before traveling abroad.

“After getting an order from the Bandra court, I inquired with an agent in the passport department and learnt that they would provide a passport for only one year. If I plan to travel abroad the passport needs to be valid for at least six months. It is a very short period of validity and therefore I decided to approach the Bombay high court to quash the FIR. But for that I required a copy of the FIR and other case papers. To get the documents, I wrote an application to the additional commissioner of police, West Region in late 2019. A few months went by and then the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown came into force,” said Mandlik.

After the lockdown was lifted, he filed RTI applications, which was heard by Abhishek Trimukhe, then deputy commissioner of police, Zone 9. Trimukhe instructed the ACP Bandra division to provide him a copy of the FIR. “My employee Teju Ram Sharma went to the ACP’s office to collect the document, but they sent him back saying it will be given soon.”

Mandlik then went into an appeal and after two years, the second hearing was conducted in 2022 in Mantralaya before the RTI commissioner who ordered the copy of the FIR be provided in 15 days. “The 15 days are yet to get over,” said the Congress worker sardonically.

This year, he approached deputy commissioner of police, zone 9, Raj Tilak Roshan, who after hearing his story directed the Bandra police in June to hand over a copy of the FIR to him. In response, the police showed a signature claiming it belonged to one of Mandlik’s employees, who had purportedly received the FIR copy.

Mandlik feels the record has been misplaced after the retirement of sub inspector Raghoji Sawant, who was investigating the case. Sanjay Marathe, senior inspector at the Bandra police station, said they are still searching for the case record and will soon provide it to the Congress worker.