Passport kills Canadian dream

NEW DELHI: The lackadaisical attitude of passport office has cost a software engineer his career. Naresh Kumar Bajaj's dream of settling in Canada turned sour after the immigration authorities in Moscow deported him back to India on finding that one page from his and his wife's passports were missing.
Back in India, Bajaj along with his wife ended up facing a case for violating the Passport Act.The Indian immigration authorities charged both for committing an offence under Section 12 of the Indian Passport Act. As per the allegations, the couple failed to explain the missing page from their passports.
The couple has now approached the high court seeking a redressal. Accusing the passport authority of "gross"negligence, they claimed ignorance as the Indian immigration had cleared them and the children when they were going to board an Aeroflot flight for Moscow.
Bajaj's lawyer, J K Nayyar said: "My client had procured the visa in 2001. He had then applied for an immigration to Canada which was finally cleared in February this year. The validity period of the visa, permitting him to enter the territory of Canada is till November 19, 2006."
On April 28, 2006, Bajaj and his family members got their passports scanned at the Indira Gandhi International Airport as they had to board a flight to Toronto. As there was a stopover at Moscow, the couple got their passports verified over there also.
"To their shock and dismay, one page was missing from their passports. The Russian authorities sent the family back to India on the same day. A day later, the Indian immigration referred the case to the police,"said Nayyar.
Bajaj is now in Delhi without a job. His children are unable to pursue their education since their admissions had been withdrawn on account of their decision to settle in Canada.
Vacation bench of Justice Mukul Mudgal has issued notice to the State as well as the Central government and asked them to reply to the petition.