Bombay High Court grants passport relief to Uganda-born senior citizen living in Goa

On August 19, the Bombay High Court overturned a May 2025 decision by the regional passport office that denied an Indian passport to a 61-year-old man born in Uganda. The court ruled that his Indian citizenship was established by his Goa-born mother and grandparents, as evidenced by his parents' marriage registration record and his authenticated Ugandan birth certificate.

The court, comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit S Jamsandekar, found that the passport officer had rejected his application due to insufficient proof of his citizenship. The court noted that the man's grandparents and mother were born in Goa, as recorded in the marriage certificate. The passport officer had previously rejected his application for lacking proof that either parent was born in Goa.

The court set aside the May 7, 2025 order and directed the man to resubmit his passport application with all necessary documents within one week, with the passport office having three weeks to consider the evidence and grant the passport within that timeframe.