 bill no  xix of  2002 the  passports  (amendment) bill, 2002 a billfurther to amend the passports  act, 1967be it enacted by parliament in the fifty-third year of the republic of india as follows:—1 (1) this act may be called the passports  (amendment)  act, 2002(2)  it shall be deemed to have come into force on the 23rd day of october, 2001| short      | title   ||------------|---------|| and        | com-    || mencement |         |15 of 196752 after section 10 of the passports act, 1967 (hereinafter referred to as the principal act), the following sections shall be inserted, namely:—insertion of new sections 10a and 10b10suspension of passports or travel documents in certain cases'10a (1) without prejudice to the generality of the provisions contained in section 10, if the central government or any designated officer is satisfied that the passport or travel document is likely to be impounded or caused to be impounded or revoked under clause (c) of sub-section (3) of section 10 and it is necessary in the public interest so to do, it or he may,—(a) by order, suspend, with immediate effect, any passport or traveldocument;(b) pass such other appropriate order which may have the effect of renderingany passport or travel document invalid,15for a period not exceeding four weeks:provided that the central government or the designated officer may, if it or he considers appropriate, extends, by order and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, the said period of four weeks till the proceedings relating to variation, impounding or revocation of passport or travel document under section 10 are concluded:5provided further that every holder of the passport or travel document, in respect of whom an order under clause (a) or clause (b) of this sub-section had been passed, shall be given an opportunity of being heard within a period of not later than eight weeks reckoned from the date of passing of such order and thereupon the central government may, if necessary,  by order in writing, modify or revoke the order passed under this sub-section10(2) the designated officer shall immediately communicate the orders passed undersub-section (1), to the concerned authority at an airport or any other point of embarkationor immigration, and to the passport authority(3) every authority referred to in sub-section (2) shall, immediately on receipt of theorder passed under sub-section (1), give effect to such order15validation of intimations2010b every intimation given by the central government or the designated officer,before the commencement of the passports (amendment) act, 2002, to any immigration authority at an airport or any other point of embarkation or immigration, restricting or in any manner prohibiting the departure from india of any holder of the passport or travel document under sub-section (3) of section 10, shall be deemed to be an order under sub-section (1) of section 10a and such order shall continue to be in force for a period of three months from the date of commencement of the passport (amendment) act, 2002,  or the date of giving suchintimation, whichever is laterexplanation— for the purposes of sections 10a and 10b, the expression "designatedofficer" means such officer or authority designated, by order in   writing, as such by the central  government253  (1) the passports (amendment) second ordinance, 2001 is hereby repealedrepeal andsavingord 11, of 2001(2) notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under theprincipal act, as amended by the said ordinance, shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the principal act, as amended by this act statement of objects and reasonsthere was no statutory provision in the passports act, 1967 to prevent a person indulging in criminal or anti-national activities from leaving the country during the period when action to revoke or impound his passport was initiated under section 10 of the said act the passports (amendment) ordinance, 2001 (ord 8 of 2001) was promulgated by the president on the 23rd day of october, 2001, so as to—(a) insert a new section 10a in the passports act, 1967 conferring power upon the central government or the designated officer to suspend the passport or travel document for a period not exceeding four weeks if it or he was satisfied that the passport or travel document was likely to be impounded or caused to be impounded or revoked under clause (c) of sub-section (3) of section 10 of the said act;(b) confer power upon the central government or the designated officer to extend the said period of four weeks till the proceedings relating to variation, impounding or revocation of the passport or travel document under section 10 of the passports act, 1967 were concluded;(c) insert a new section 10b in the passports act, 1967, validating the intimations given, before the commencement of the passports (amendment) ordinance, 2001(ord 8 of 2001), by the central government or the designated officer to any immigration authority restricting or in any manner prohibiting the departure from india of any holder of the passport or travel document under sub-section (3) of section 10 of the passports act, 1967 2 before the promulgation of the  ordinance, the concerned authorities were issuing"look out circulars" to prevent such persons from leaving the country3 the passports (amendment) bill, 2001 for replacing the said ordinance was introduced on the 22nd november, 2001 in the rajya sabha subsequent to the introduction of the said bill, a notice to move the following amendments to amend the bill was given on the 11th december, 2001, namely :—(a) to provide that every holder of the passport or travel document, in respect of whom an order under clause (a) or clause (b) of section 10a of the passports act, 1967 had been passed, shall be given an opportunity of being heard within a period of not later than eight weeks reckoned  from the date of passing of such order and thereupon the central government may, if necessary by order in writing, modify or revoke the order passed under that section;(b) to withdraw the powers of the state governments to designate officers to suspend the passport or travel document under section 10a 4 the passports (amendment) bill, 2001 and the above amendments are pending in the council of states5 the passports (amendment) ordinance, 2001 (ord 8 of 2001) would have lapsed after the expiry of six weeks from the date of reassembly of parliament ie the 19th november,2001 in view of the prevailing security scenario and to provide continuity to the passports (amendment) ordinance, 2001 (ord 8 of 2001), the president was pleased to promulgate the passports (amendment) second ordinance, 2001 (ord11 of 2001) containing the provisions of the passports (amendment) bill, 2001 as introduced in the rajya sabha and also incorporating therein the above amendments6 the bill seeks to replace the said ordinancenew delhi;jaswant singhthe  25th february, 2002 rajya   sabha————a billfurther to amend the passports act, 1967————(shri jaswant singh, minister of external affairs)mgip(plu)mrnd—5424rs—06032002