Justice K Venkaraman, passing interim orders on a petition by Radhakrishnan, also issued notice to the RPO and Tuticorin Superintendent of Police returnable in four weeks.
The petitioner submitted that he was issued a passport under the Tatkal scheme, on June 17, 2008.
He surrendered it on February 14, 2011 after the RPO sent a communication in 2009 impounding the passport stating that the SP had not cleared it on the ground that five criminal cases were pending against him.
He said his passport had been impounded without hearing him. Also, there was no case pending against him either on the date of application or issue of the passport.
The cases referred in the communication of the RPO were election related violations and were politically instituted at the instance of the political rival (AIADMK), he contended.
The RPO could not mechanically impound the passport on the ground of pendency of criminal case against the holder. Hence the order impounding the passport should be quashed.
He also sought a stay on the January 1, 2009 order impounding the passport.
