NEW DELHI: Foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Friday the MEA had received a request from Karnataka for cancellation of JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna‘s passport only on May 21 and the ministry had acted immediately on it.
A show-cause notice has been served to the suspended MP seeking to know why his diplomatic passport shouldn’t be cancelled in light of allegations of sexual abuse against him.Govt sources said this was in line with the Passports Act regulations for cancellation of passport.
Government sources had said Thursday the request was being processed. The notice was sent to the official email of Revanna, who is believed to be in Germany. “To impound a passport is governed by an act called the Passports Act. We need a judicial court or a police request to do so. MEA got this request from Karnataka only on May 21,” Jaishankar told news agency ANI.
“We immediately acted on it. On 23rd of May… we have to follow a certain procedure and the procedure is initiated,” the minister added.
Sources said the MEA is undertaking the process to cancel his diplomatic passport under provisions of the Passports Act of 1967. If the passport is cancelled, Revanna’s stay abroad will be illegal and he may face legal action by authorities in the country he is staying, a person familiar with the matter said.
On Wednesday, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote a second letter to the PM urging him to take “prompt and necessary” action to cancel Prajwal’s diplomatic passport.
The SIT set up by Karnataka govt to probe the sexual abuse charges against Revanna wrote to MEA to cancel his diplomatic passport after an arrest warrant was issued against him by a local court.
A show-cause notice has been served to the suspended MP seeking to know why his diplomatic passport shouldn’t be cancelled in light of allegations of sexual abuse against him.Govt sources said this was in line with the Passports Act regulations for cancellation of passport.
Government sources had said Thursday the request was being processed. The notice was sent to the official email of Revanna, who is believed to be in Germany. “To impound a passport is governed by an act called the Passports Act. We need a judicial court or a police request to do so. MEA got this request from Karnataka only on May 21,” Jaishankar told news agency ANI.
“We immediately acted on it. On 23rd of May… we have to follow a certain procedure and the procedure is initiated,” the minister added.
Sources said the MEA is undertaking the process to cancel his diplomatic passport under provisions of the Passports Act of 1967. If the passport is cancelled, Revanna’s stay abroad will be illegal and he may face legal action by authorities in the country he is staying, a person familiar with the matter said.
On Wednesday, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote a second letter to the PM urging him to take “prompt and necessary” action to cancel Prajwal’s diplomatic passport.
The SIT set up by Karnataka govt to probe the sexual abuse charges against Revanna wrote to MEA to cancel his diplomatic passport after an arrest warrant was issued against him by a local court.