The Madras High Court yesterday said that passport cannot be seized by police or court as it is the jurisdiction of the passport officer. In a petition filed by M Ismayil of Trichy seeking return of his passport after the Trichy Airport police impounded it as he was booked under Section 420.

A petition under section 451 seeking return of his passport was filed and Justice P R Shivakumar referring a 2008 Supreme Court order said that passport cannot be withheld by police or court. Yet the court dismissed the petition stating that in this case the passport cannot be returned for the fear that the accused may leave the country using the passport.