Can RTI play a role in resolving issues with Passport Delay?
The Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI) is one of the most essential weapons in the hands of common man which gives him the right to request any legitimate information from any public authority. The law mandates such authority, should reply expeditiously within the time span of 30 days after the complaint is filed.
The main objective of the RTI act is to empower citizens by promoting transparency as well as making various sectors of the government accountable. This is to aid efforts to have transparency in government processes in India, and make it corruption free.
However, the role of RTI is not just limited to getting answers from government authorities, but also helps for marksheet verifications, checking the authenticity of the degrees of universities, knowing FIR status, getting IT refunds. It also helps in getting a delayed passport and understanding the reasons behind the delay as well.
An RTI application can be filed for getting information regarding a wide range of issues that are missing FIR, checking the status of the FIR, the cause of the delay of passport and so on.
Typical Issues in Passport delay:
The passport delay issue comes under the realm of RTI as it is facilitated by a public authority. And as most of you would know, it is pretty common issue with a lot of applicants and you never get a clear answer for such a delay. It can go on for a long period of time without any action taken to speed up the process.
The delay could be caused due to a large number of reasons, you might have applied, but still have not received any answer, your police verification might be pending, or the report may not have reached the RPO, and many more. The best solution to speed up the process and get an effective answer would be filing an RTI application.
You can file an RTI application in accordance with the type of delay:
1. Passport RTI in case of police verification pending:
You might have applied for passport and might have finished all the formalities that are required, still your police verification has not started. You might have had police verification process but your online status in your passport application is "police verification not received".
In order to speed up the verification process, you need to file an RTI application asking the reasons relating the delay in the issuance of your passport. Your application should consist of the details of the officers involved in processing your application.
Under Section 2(f), the certified copies of the relevant documents and records, in this regard, can be obtained.
2. Status of old passport:
This scenario can occur under the following circumstances:
- If you have requested for a new passport, as the older one was lost
OR
- Lost passport was found and is with a concerning authority but you did not know the status of the old passport
You can file an RTI application for Passport Status under such a scenario.
By section 2(f) of the RTI act, certified copies of relevant documents can be obtained relating to the status of old passport. The copies of communications and any sort of correspondence that is exchanged between various officials could also be obtained. The information can be used and remedial action can be availed through court proceedings or any independent mechanism to obtain details from passport department.
3. Certified copy of passport under RTI pertaining to a third party:
The process of obtaining another person’s information comes under section 11 of the act.
This information is **exempt from disclosure ** under RTI unless there are some specific circumstances.
It can be obtained on only two cases:
- If you have taken the consent of the third party
- If in disclosing the information larger public interest is served.
If you are not able to adhere to the above requirements then you will not be able to get the certified copy his passport.
4. Delay in Reissue of Passport:
The concerned office for the issuance as well as the re-issuance of the passport is a public authority so it is under the realm of RTI. In case of non availability of any relevant details, you could ask for document and records that relate to the policy of re-issuance of passport.
Filing an RTI application for passport delay:
An application for passport delay can be made by any of the following ways:
- By writing at the CPV Division, New Delhi and paying the Application Fee in cash or by any other offline payment method.
- By writing at the Regional Passport Offices. The Application Fee can be paid either in cash or by any other offline payment method.
You should know the passport application details like:
- Name of the Applicant
- Passport Application Number
- Address of the Passport Office
- Name of The Public Information Officer dealing with Passport Verification Process
The application could be drafted in the following format:
Additional details to be kept in mind:
- Information should be provided to each point separately. There should be not be any clubbing of points even if the information is repeated.
- Provide the name & designation of the officer who is providing this information along with the details (name & designation) of first appellant as per rules of RTI Act.
- Send the above via local speed post to the applicant’s address.
- It would be preferable if you would send the information in English language
Although the ways mentioned above sounds simple to implement but in actuality they can be really tedious.
If you did a simple mistake or overlook a small detail in your application or didn’t follow the correct format or got the PIO or the RPO address wrong, the RTI will be rejected.
Not to mention the need to physically go and submit the application to the RPO.
How Online RTI.com helps with RTI Application for Passport Delay?
There is a simple way of filing an application for RTI in case of delayed passport online through OnlineRTI.com.
- You just have to file a simple application in simple English and submit choosing the prefered online payment option. We even accept Paytm wallet!
- One you submit the application our team of RTI experts will evaluate the same in contact you to understand the further details.
- We will then draft the RTI application taking care of the format and legalities and send you for approval.
- Once the approval is received we will send the application to the correct PIO and they will reply directly to you.
You need not even leave your house for that. All this is to ensure you can get answers to your concerns in the most hassle-free manner with OnlineRTI.
To apply for Passport RTI Click here
Why OnlineRTI?
- With high success rate of over 2.8 lakh RTI applications being filed including around 1,20,000 passport RTI applications and a response rate of 90% OnlineRTI provides, safety, security and ease of payment.
- The procedure for filing RTIs is different for every state. At our portal, this is also taken care of. You just have to fill a common form, the rest is taken care by us. For example - The Passport RTIs are filed for a range of states including: Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh.
- The use of Paytm has made the online transaction more secure. You can even use various other secure and safe facilities like net banking or the use of credit/debit card.
- All the hassles and the conundrums while filing the RTI are made simpler as our team of experts, who will constantly assist you in addressing your grievances and assuring that you receive a proper reply from the concerning authority.
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