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HC directs Centre to issue passport to Mann

The Punjab and Haryana high court today directed the Union of India and the local passport officer to issue a passport to Simranjit Singh Mann, member of Parliament, within a week from the receipt of the court order.

Justice V K Jhanji handed down this order on a petition by Mann stating that ''since he has been elected to the Lok Sabha and has taken oath as MP expressing faith in the Constitution, he should be issued a passport forthwith.''

Earlier, the Union government and the chief passport officer, New Delhi, had rejected Mann's plea for issuing a passport stating that it would be ''harmful to the cause of sovereignty and integrity of India if the petitioner is allowed to go abroad.'' Eight first information reports had been registered against Mann, the government had told the court adding that ''investigation reports were yet awaited.''

Since September 1990, Mann had filed various writ petitions in the high court.

UNI

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