Neither Police, Nor Criminal Court Can Seize Or Impound Passport: High Court

The court said the Tribunal has the powers of a civil court and when the civil court itself cannot impound a passport, the DRT too cannot.

The High Court of Karnataka has reiterated that "neither the police nor the criminal court invoking powers under Sections 102 or 104 of the Criminal Procedure Code can seize or impound a passport."

The court, therefore, recently quashed the order of the Debt Recovery Tribunal-1, Bengaluru, which had impounded the passport of Nitin Shambhukumar Kasliwal, a businessman from Mumbai.

The court said the Tribunal has the powers of a civil court and when the civil court itself cannot impound a passport, the DRT too cannot.