Variation, impounding and revocation of passports and travel documents
Section 10 of the Passports Act, 1967 deals with variation, impounding and revocation of passports and travel documents. The passport authority may, having regard to the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 6 or any notification under section 19, vary or cancel the endorsements on a passport or travel document or may, with the previous approval of the Central Government, vary or cancel the conditions (other than t The Act came into force on 24 Jun 1967.
(1) The passport authority may, having regard to the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 6 or any notification under section 19, vary or cancel the endorsements on a passport or travel document or may, with the previous approval of the Central Government, vary or cancel the conditions (other than the prescribed conditions) subject to which a passport or travel document has been issued and may, for that purpose, require the holder of a passport or a travel document, by notice in writing, to deliver up the passport or travel document to it within such time as may be specified in the notice and the holder shall comply with such notice.
(2) The passport authority may, on the application of the holder of a passport or a travel document, and with the previous approval of the Central Government also vary or cancel the conditions (other than the prescribed conditions) of the passport or travel document.
(3) The passport authority may impound or cause to be impounded or revoke a passport or travel document,--
(a) if the passport authority is satisfied that the holder of the passport or travel document is in wrongful possession thereof;
(b) if the passport or travel document was obtained by the suppression of material information or on the basis of wrong information provided by the holder of the passport or travel document or any other person on his behalf:
1 [Provided that if the holder of such passport obtains another passport, the passport authority shall also impound or cause to be impounded or revoke such other passport.]
(c) if the passport authority deems it necessary so to do in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any foreign country, or in the interests of the general public;
(d) if the holder of the passport or travel document has, at any time after the issue of the passport or travel document, been convicted by a court in India for any offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced in respect thereof to imprisonment for not less than two years;
(e) if proceedings in respect of an offence alleged to have been committed by the holder of the passport or travel document are pending before a criminal court in India;
(f) if any of the conditions of the passport or travel document has been contravened;
(g) if the holder of the passport or travel document has failed to comply with a notice under sub-section (1) requiring him to deliver up the same;
(h) if it is brought to the notice of the passport authority that a warrant or summons for the appearance, or a warrant for the arrest, of the holder of the passport or travel document has been issued by a court under any law for the time being in force or if an order prohibiting the departure from India of the holder of the passport or other travel document has been made by any such court and the passport authority is satisfied that a warrant or summons has been so issued or an order has been so made.
(4) The passport authority may also revoke a passport or travel document on the application of the holder thereof.
(5) Where the passport authority makes an order varying or cancelling the endorsements on, or varying the conditions of, a passport or travel document under sub-section (1) or an order impounding or revoking a passport or travel document under sub-section (3), it shall record in writing a brief statement of the reasons for making such order and furnish to the holder of the passport or travel document on demand a copy of the same unless in any case, the passport authority is of the opinion that it will not be in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any foreign country or in the interests of the general public to furnish such a copy.
(6) The authority to whom the passport authority is subordinate may, by order in writing, impound or cause to be impounded or revoke a passport or travel document on any ground on which it may be impounded or revoked by the passport authority and the foregoing provisions of this section shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to the impounding or revocation of a passport or travel document by such authority.
(7) A court convicting the holder of a passport or travel document of any offence under this Act or the rules made thereunder may also revoke the passport or travel document:
Provided that if the conviction is set aside on appeal or otherwise the revocation shall become void.
(8) An order of revocation under sub-section (7) may also be made by an appellate court or by the High Court when exercising its powers of revision.
(9) On the revocation of a passport or travel document under this section the holder thereof shall, without delay, surrender the passport or travel document, if the same has not already been impounded, to the authority by whom it has been revoked or to such other authority as may be specified in this behalf in the order of revocation.
Section 10, The Passports Act, 1967 (Act 15 of 1967).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Suresh Nanda v. CBI
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Judgment of Main Case order-5.pdf 2008-01-24 DATE VERIFIED (not same-date ROP order-6). Crl A 179/2008. Police may seize a passport under CrPC 102 but cannot impound it. Impounding is only by the Passport Authority under Passports Act s.10(3). A court cannot impound under CrPC 104 because the Passports Act is a special law. Map passports-act-1967 10.
On this section: s.10(3) is the only power to impound a passport. Police seizure under CrPC 102 is not impounding; a court cannot impound under CrPC 104 because the Passports Act is special law (Suresh Nanda).
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… The Consulate, also based on information available, has sufficient reason to believe that provisions of clause (e) of sub-section (3) of Section 10 of the Passports Act, 1967 are also attracted :4: against the petitioner which stipulates that the Passport Authority may impound or revoke a Passport if proceedings in respect of an offence alleged to have been committed by the holder of the Passport or travel document are pending before a criminal court in …
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument states that it was made under this provision — the power to make it comes from here, so a change to any of them changes what this section requires in practice. Newest first.
Another 4 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 10
What have the courts held on Section 10 of the Passports Act?
Suresh Nanda v. CBI (24 Jan 2008) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: s.10(3) is the only power to impound a passport. Police seizure under CrPC 102 is not impounding; a court cannot impound under CrPC 104 because the Passports Act is special law (Suresh Nanda).
How do I find court cases under Section 10 of the Passports Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Passports Act 1967 10, section 10 Passports Act 1967, section 10 of the Passports Act. People searching for it also type passport act 10 3 and passport act 10 3 b. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Suresh Nanda v. CBI (24 Jan 2008).
What should I read with Section 10 of the Passports Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 6 (Refusal of passports, travel documents, etc), section 19 (Passports and travel documents to be invalid for travel to certain countries), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 3 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. The rules and notifications made under it are where it actually bites, and there is one: most recently Notification regarding requirement of No Objection Certificate by Govt servants facing criminal charges 12.01.2000 (2000).
When did Section 10 of the Passports Act come into force?
Section 10 of the Passports Act, cited as Passports Act 1967 10, came into force on 24 Jun 1967, having been enacted on 24 Jun 1967. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.