Jun 22, 2025 12:16 AM IST

The bench mentioned it reveals the “mindset of the society in treating girl who’re married as if they’re chattel.”

A girl doesn’t want her husband’s consent and signature to use for a passport and insisting on the identical is an occasion of “male supremacism”, the Madras excessive courtroom has mentioned disposing of a petition filed by a girl who sought instructions to authorities to difficulty her a recent passport.

#Chennai, Dec 25 (ANI): A view of Madras High Court, in #Chennai on Friday. (ANI Photo) (ANI)

Saying that the insistence by the Regional Passport Office (RPO) that the lady get her estranged husband’s permission for issuance of a passport was “stunning”, the bench of justice #N Anand Venkatesh mentioned it reveals the “mindset of the society in treating girl who’re married as if they’re chattel belonging to the husband”.

The girl, Revathy, moved the courtroom saying that she utilized for a passport in April, however her utility was not processed and the petitioner was knowledgeable that she should acquire the signature of her husband in Form-J and solely thereafter, the appliance will likely be processed by the #Chennai RPO.

The petitioner obtained married in 2023 and there was a matrimonial dispute between the events which resulted in her husband submitting a petition earlier than a neighborhood courtroom, looking for for the dissolution of the wedding. This petition was pending.

The RPO additionally took the pending dispute into consideration, following which she filed the current petition.

In his order, the decide mentioned that within the thought of view of this courtroom, the appliance submitted by the petitioner looking for a passport needs to be processed independently.

“It shouldn’t be obligatory for a spouse to get the permission of her husband and take his signature earlier than making use of for a passport earlier than the authority,” the decide mentioned within the June 18 order.

“This insistence made by the 2nd respondent (the RPO) reveals the mindset of the society in treating girl who’re married as if they’re chattel belonging to the husband. It is sort of stunning that the passport workplace is insisting for the permission of the husband and his signature in a selected type as a way to course of the appliance submitted by the petitioner for passport,” the courtroom mentioned.

The decide mentioned the petitioner after marriage doesn’t lose her individuality and a spouse can all the time apply for a passport with out the permission or signature of the husband in any type.

“It is sort of stunning that the passport workplace is insisting for the permission of the husband and his signature in a selected type as a way to course of the appliance submitted by the petitioner for passport,” the courtroom mentioned.

It famous that it was not potential for the petitioner girl to acquire her husband’s signature on the appliance in view of the strained relationship between them, the decide mentioned, the RPO was insisting the lady “fulfill an impossibility”.

“The follow of insisting for permission from the husband to use for passport, doesn’t augur nicely for a society which is transferring in the direction of emancipation. This follow is nothing wanting male supremacism,” the courtroom mentioned.

The decide directed the RPO to course of the appliance submitted by the petitioner and difficulty a passport in her title on her satisfying the opposite necessities.

This course of shall be accomplished inside 4 weeks, the decide added.

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