Help with passport
Prasantananda
(Querist) 11 August 2012
This query is : Resolved
Dear Sir,
I am a monk and recently I got a passport made. In the passport I have my Guru's name in the father's name column. This was pointed out by the German Embassy when I applied for a visa.
Kindly advise if it is legally admissible to have Guru's name on the passport. And if it is not, what can I do to correct it?
Regards
Prasanta
Guest
(Expert) 11 August 2012
Certainly not. You will have to apply to the concerned Passport Officer for rectification of father's name.
Tajobsindia
(Expert) 11 August 2012
As per rules of Ministry of External Affairs Circular No. VI/401/01/05/2008 dated 05.10.2009 serial No. 4(2) "In the event of remarriage after divorce, the name of step-father / step-mother cannot be written in the passport of children from the previous marriage. The relationship of the child to his biological parents subsists, even after divorce by parents. It is also not possible to leave the column of father or mother blank in the passport in such cases. Therefore, such applicants must write the names of their biological parents in the application form. However, if the stepfather or stepmother is appointed by a Court as legal guardian, the name of such step-parent can be written as legal guardian".
Applying above Circular reasoning the case in hand is similar wherein either the Guru when you were child should have adopted you via Court procedure or now if you are major then you fill up Form I with the name of biological father and get entry corrected in your Passport.
In actual sense there is no case law to your enquiry to the best of my knowledge for a simple reason adult child cannot be legaly adopted by anyone be it a religious Guru. In religious way of life many people submit themselves to their Gurus teaching and see in their Gurus their "father" and it is but natural that in daily practice they refer their Gurus as their "father" but then legality crops as in the law as in legal documents is what is said to be as above which in my understanding should not be questioned by a Writ or otherwise.
There is very interesting corality to your question before us; in cases where people adopt to "Hinduism" there is a standing Order from various Ashrams / Matths / Temples / Hermitage / Conclaves etc. that "one should legally make legal documents such as passport / driving license" etc announcing once religious beliefs to be "Hinduism" :-)
Prasantananda
(Querist) 13 August 2012
Dear Sirs,
I am grateful for the two replies I received in response to my query about father's name in the passport.
I have another connected query to the one resolved by esteemed experts. This question is about my Election Commission of India Card which also records my Guru's name. But I think in the Voter Card the column is more general in the sense that it mentions 'Others' instead of 'Father's Name'. I understand it might be all right to have Guru's name since the card doesn't say Father's Name. But when I present the passport for issuance of a visa along with my Voter's Card, it might give rise to confusion or outright objection by the Embassy staff.
Please enlighten me as to the correct legal position with regard to this point. Should I also have the Voter's Card corrected? Also, is there a provision to approach the Regional Election Commissioner and request him to issue a new card? Normally these cards are part of the pre-election process where they are issued enmasse.
Regards.
Prasantananda
