Procedure to be followed while forwarding applications seeking No Objection Certificate for obtaining passport / renewal of passport by the Officers and Officials of the Department – Reiteration for ready reference and for adherence

Procedure to be followed while forwarding applications seeking No Objection Certificate for obtaining passport / renewal of passport by the Officers and Officials of the Department – Reiteration for ready reference and for adherence

F.No.Con.Vig ./26( 1)/Circulars/2020- 21

Date: 08.03.2021.

CIRCULAR

Sub: Procedure to be followed while forwarding applications seeking No Objection Certificate for obtaining passport / renewal of passport by the Officers and Officials of the Department – Reiteration for ready reference and for adherence – Reg.

While processing the applications for issue of No Objection Certificate in relation to obtaining passport / renewal of passport in the recent past, some deficiencies / submission of in-adequate information is noticed. For supplementing the information and to make good the deficiencies, correspondence is being made with the heads of offices. It is consuming comparatively longer time to process the applications due to host of deficiencies. In this backdrop, it is necessitated to elicit a reference to the important instructions on the subject, which are summarized hereunder for ready reference and for scrupulous adherence.

i) DoPT vide OM No.11012/7/ 2017- Estt. A-III dated 28.03 .2018 clarified the need for taking vigilance clearance for obtaining Indian Passport and also prescribed therein the ground on which such vigilance clearance could be withheld (Annexure-A).

ii) It is mandatory as per the advice of DoPT vide OM No.11012/7/2017-Estt.A-III dated 18.02.2020 (issued in supersession of OM dated 28.03.2018) that along with vigilance clearance it needs to be checked and certified as to whether any provisions of rule 6( 2) of the Indian Passport Act, 1967 is attracted in the case of employees (Annexure-B) .

2. With regard to submission of applications seeking No Objection Certificate for passport / renewal of passport in respect of Group-A Officers, it may please be ensured by the head of office that enclosing a certificate on the applicability of any of the provisions under section 6( 2) of the Passport Act, 1967, copy of the first page of service register where photo pasted, copy of page of service register containing date of joining particulars, copy of valid identity card and two passport size photos along with the application is a necessary concomitance. After receipt of all these documents, the application is escalated for further process of obtaining vigilance clearance and for issuing No Objection Certificate.

2(a) With regard to submission of applications seeking No Objection Certificate for passport / renewal of passport in respect of Group-B Officers, it may please be ensured by the head of office that enclosing a certificate on the applicability of any of the provisions under section 6( 2) of the Passport Act, 1967, copy of the first page of service register where photo pasted, copy of page of service register containing date of joining particulars, copy of valid identity card and two passport size photos along with the application is a necessary concomitance. Added to this, a certificate from the head of office is required to be forwarded mentioning therein as to whether any departmental proceedings are pending for administrative reasons and whether there is any pendency of criminal cases irrespective of nature of such cases. This requirement should be met as per the guidelines of the CBDT, Vigilance, South Zone in letter F.No.25/ADG(V)(S)/ DPC/2020-21 dated 19.06.2020. After receipt of all these documents, the application is escalated for further process of obtaining vigilance clearance and for issuing No Objection Certificate.

2(b) With regard to submission of applications seeking No Objection Certificate for passport / renewal of passport in respect of Group-C Officials, it may please be ensured by the head of office that enclosing vigilance clearance, certificate on the applicability of any of the provisions under section 6( 2) of the Passport Act, 1967, copy of the first page of service register where photo pasted, copy of page of service register containing date of joining particulars, copy of valid identity card and two passport size photos along with the application is a necessary concomitance.

3. It may be noted that all the Officers / Officials intending to obtain passport / renewal of passport need to invariably apply for No Objection Certificate to the Pr. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax and submission of intimation / prior intimation regarding submission of passport application is not in consonance with the guidelines in vogue, in this regard.

4. I have been directed to bring to the notice, the above procedural requirements to be followed as per the extant guidelines for issuing No Objection Certificate for obtaining passport / renewal of passport, for ready reference and scrupulous adherence . It is requested that the above procedure may be followed which would considerably reduce the avoidable correspondence and would amplify the scope to enable this office to take swift action of processing the application.

5. Further I have been directed to request that the guidelines may be brought to knowledge of all the Officers and Officials working under your administrative control.

(C.R Sekhar)
Income Tax Officer (OSD)(Vigilance),
O/o. Pr. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax,
AP & TS, Hyderabad.

[download id=”113086″ template=”dlm-buttons-button”]