PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 11 -- The Allahabad high court has directed the authorities concerned that all police verification reports for passport applications must be completed and submitted within four weeks.

To ensure efficiency and accountability in the issuance of passports, the court mandated so, as it noted that delays in this essential exercise were creating a hurdle in the realisation of the right to travel of accused persons, especially in cases where reissuance was sought for only one year.

The court said that if an applicant found that his application for a passport has remained pending for his implication in a criminal case, then he should first apply for the necessary no-objection/sanction/approval from the court concerned or crimina...