India, Dec. 20 -- The Supreme Court on Friday said liberty, "in our constitutional scheme, is not a gift of the State but its first obligation," as it held that passport authority was not required to demand a schedule of future journeys or visas at the stage of renewal.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and AG Masih said the task of the passport authority is only to see whether, despite pending proceedings, the criminal courts have chosen to keep the possibility of travel open under their supervision. "Liberty, in our constitutional scheme, is not a gift of the State but its first obligation.

The freedom of a citizen to move, to travel, to pursue livelihood and opportunity, subject to law, is an essential part of the guarantee under Artic...