Petitioner has approached this Court for a direction to the 2nd respondent to consider her application for correction of date of birth in the passport. According to the petitioner, in the passport, her date of birth is shown as 05/04/1979. The passport is valid from 14/02/2008 to 13/02/2018. According to the petitioner, as per the date of birth in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate, her date of birth is shown as 05/04/1976. It is stated that this mistake has crept at the instance of the agent who submitted the application for issuance of the passport.
2. The law is well settled. The Passport Officer has the authority to correct the date of birth in the passport relying upon school records. A Division Bench of this Court in Swapna Siju v. Union of India [2012(4) KLT 419] has held so. Under these circumstances, it is for the 2nd W.P.C.No.5667/2014 2 respondent to consider whether the entry in the date of birth of the petitioner in the passport is on account of a mistake. If so, it is open for the Passport Officer to rely upon Ext.P2 Secondary School Leaving Certificate to make necessary correction.
In the above circumstances, the writ petition is disposed of directing the 2nd respondent to consider the application submitted by the petitioner for correction of date of birth in her passport after conducting necessary enquiry and pass appropriate orders in the matter.
(A.M.SHAFFIQUE, JUDGE) jsr