In Bengaluru, the Karnataka High Court has commended the proactive stance taken by the Union Ministry of External Affairs and the Regional Passport Office Karnataka in swiftly granting a visa to Ranji cricketer KC Cariappa following police clearance. Cariappa had petitioned the High Court seeking directives to the Passport Office for obtaining police clearance to facilitate his journey to England for cricket engagements.

His travel arrangements encountered a setback when a female lodged a criminal complaint against him, resulting in the withholding of police clearance for the visa. A lone adjudicator, presided over by Justice M Nagaprasanna, while applauding the respondents’ actions, remarked, “This Court expresses its admiration to the Ministry of External Affairs, the second respondent, for expeditiously processing the file before them, as guaranteed by the learned Deputy Solicitor General of India, Sri Shanthi Bhushan H… Thus, the Ministry of External Affairs and the second respondent, both acted swiftly in processing the file within 60 minutes. This proactive approach by the Union of India warrants commendation.”

During the previous court session, the legal representative for the central government pledged that the visa would be issued within 60 minutes following police clearance. As per the court’s directives, the regional passport office granted Cariappa the visa within an hour of receiving clearance from the municipal police department, the central government’s legal counsel disclosed.

Case Context: Recently, a young woman accused Ranji cricketer KC Cariappa of engaging in sexual exploitation under the pretext of marriage. Subsequently, she filed a complaint with the RT Nagar police station in Bengaluru. Against this backdrop, KC Cariappa faced restrictions on international travel.