Bombay High Court Orders Passport Authorities To Reconsider Former Journalist Jigna Vora’s Plea For Passport

The Bombay High Court on Monday frowned at CBI’s unreasonable approach while opposing former journalist Jigna Vora’s plea for a fresh passport. The court allowed Vora’s petition and directed passport authorities to consider her application afresh.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse took exception to the CBI’s constant objection in granting her relief despite no pending appeals against her acquittal.

Vora, a former deputy editor of Asian Age newspaper was accused by the CBI of giving crucial information about Journalist J Dey to alleged gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan, which led to the senior journalist’s murder in June 2011.

In 2018, a special court found Rajan and eight others guilty under sections 302, 120-B of the IPC and sections 3(1)(i), 3(2) and 3(4) of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) and sentenced them to life imprisonment for Dey's murder. Vora and one more accused were acquitted.

Her acquittal was later upheld by the High Court in 2019.

However, Vora was constrained to approach the High Court after CBI sent an adverse report to the passport office on her application for issuance of a fresh passport. The CBI claimed that Jigna had not executed a PR Bond in compliance with her acquittal order and that her case was still pending with the CBI, hence her passport application shouldn’t be cleared till the case ended.

Jigna initially approached the Sessions court but was denied relief.

In her plea before the High Court filed through Husayn Kopti, Jigna claimed that the Sessions Court order suffered from non-application of mind as there was no pending appeal against her in any court.

Advocate Meghashyam Kocharekar argued that the High Court had upheld her acquittal and the CBI hadn’t approached the Supreme Court against the order. Therefore, there was no question of executing a PR Bond.

Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat claimed Jigna would infact be required execute a PR Bond. However, the High Court bench found that CBI was "objecting to everything".

“Unreasonable approach of the CBI,” the court said and allowed Vora’s application.

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