10-Year-Old Son Cannot Get A Passport Without The Sign Of His Abusive Father. Unfair!

It is nearly the end of the year 2016. The world has begun to legally recognise same-sex marriages, move away from gender biases and strive for equal rights for women. However, in the very same world, in our nation, the narrow-mindedness of our bureaucracy continues to remain a hurdle in our path to becoming a progressive society.

In this post, uploaded by Humans of Bombay, this young boy has been unable to realise his dream of travelling the world. Our narrow-minded bureaucracy is unwilling to issue him a passport only because, his mother, Shampa Ghosh is a single parent with his abusive father being out of the picture. 

Here’s the complete Facebook post:

However, there seems to be no law mandating the requirement of the name of the father in order to be issued a passport. Here’s the official statement from Justice Manmohan, the judge presiding over the case that set this precedent.

“In the absence of any provision making it mandatory to mention the name of one’s biological father in the passport, the respondents (passport authorities) cannot insist upon the same.”

The High Court ruling setting the precedent for no legal requirement of a biological father’s name for a passport application. It begs the question, are passport officials refusing to accept Shampa’s son’s passport application simply because their personal conservative beliefs do not allow for the concept of a single parent?

News Source: Humans of Bombay, The Indian Express