Maharashtra minister Wadettiwar's passport impounded

Intodays date, there is no offence against me - be itpolitical, civil or criminal, the state relief andrehabilitation minister said.I myself have surrendered my passport... there is noquestion of my passport being seized as being circulated bymany. My passport has been gone for verification and I think,I will get it back in few days, he said.

Maharashtra cabinet minister andCongress leader Vijay Wadettiwar's passport has been impoundedin a case related to alleged non-disclosure of criminaloffences pending against him while applying for the traveldocument, the Nagpur passport office has said.

Wadettiwar on Thursday said he had himself surrenderedhis passport and the document is being verified by officials.

He also claimed no case is pending against him.

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had in Julylast year issued notices to Wadettiwar, the Home Department,the Nagpur police commissioner, passport officers of Nagpurand Mumbai on a plea filed by former MLC Mitesh Bangadia.

In his plea, Bangadia had alleged Wadettiwar did notdisclose information about criminal cases pending against himwhile applying for a passport, and demanded registration of anFIR against him.

The Nagpur passport office, in an order, said thepassport of Wadettiwar was impounded on December 18, 2020,under relevant sections of the Passports Act, 1967.

The minister had personally surrendered his passportand submitted court judgement copies of cases pending againsthim.

Bangadia, through his counsel Shreerang Bhandarkar,had submitted in the HC that Wadettiwar applied for thepassport in Nagpur for the first time on May 29, 2001, and''knowingly'' did not disclose criminal cases pending againsthim.

On the date of the application, there were more than10 criminal cases pending against him, Bhandarkar told the HC.

''Therefore, Wadettiwar knowingly suppressed necessaryinformation with a view to mislead the authorities in order toprocure a passport in his favour and gave false informationthat no criminal cases were pending against him,'' thepetitioner had further submitted.

Wadettiwar did the same while applying for the traveldocument for a second time on January 25, 2007, he had toldthe court.

The petitioner had prayed to the HC to direct the citypolice commissioner, passport offices in Mumbai and Nagpur toregister an FIR against the Congress leader under relevantsections of the IPC and order confiscation of his passport.

When contacted, Wadettiwar said he himself hadsurrendered his passport last month.

''I had some political cases in 2012 and someone hasfiled a complaint on that issue. I have given my passport. Intoday's date, there is no offence against me - be itpolitical, civil or criminal,'' the state relief andrehabilitation minister said.

''I myself have surrendered my passport... there is noquestion of my passport being seized as being circulated bymany. My passport has been gone for verification and I think,I will get it back in few days,'' he said.