Sets passport expiry as outer limit for granting exit permit
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday directed the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) of the Goa Police to process the exit permit application of a Kenyan national expeditiously, and in any case, before April 15, 2026, when her passport expires.
The direction came while disposing of a criminal writ petition filed by Teresia Wairimu Muturi, whose visa had expired in 2018 but who entered India on a valid passport that remains in force till April next year. The Ministry of Home Affairs, FRRO, and other relevant authorities were marked as respondents in the petition.
Muturi had earlier applied for an exit permit after the expiry of her visa, but was subsequently arrested and chargesheeted under the relevant provisions of law. She pleaded guilty before the trial court, which, in its judgment, granted a set-off of 62 days of imprisonment, accounting for the period she had already served.
In her submission before the Division Bench of Justice Suman Shyam and Justice Amit Jamsandekar, the petitioner claimed that pursuant to the trial court order, she was taken to the Mapusa Police Station, where her passport was deposited. She was not lodged in a detention centre but was directed to remain in the vicinity of the police station.
On January 13, 2026, she reapplied for an exit permit, expressing her intention to leave the State and the country. However, the application has been pending.
In its reply, the State submitted that the FRRO, Panaji, was unable to process the application as the petitioner was not found at the address in Parra furnished for verification. It was stated that the verification process could not be completed as her whereabouts could not be traced.
The authorities, however, informed the Bench that if the petitioner appeared before the FRRO, Panaji, along with the relevant documents, the verification and processing of the exit permit would be undertaken.
Taking note of the submissions, the High Court directed the petitioner to remain present before the FRRO on February 12 and on subsequent dates as may be required by the authorities. The Court, while disposing of the petition, further directed the FRRO to process the exit permit application as expeditiously as possible, fixing April 15, 2026, as the outer limit for granting the permit. “Exit permit be granted as expeditiously as possible, but not later than April 15, 2026,” the Bench said.
