Chennai: The Madras High Court has ruled that a woman does not require her husband’s permission or signature to apply for a passport, stating that such a requirement has no legal basis and undermines a woman’s individuality.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh issued the ruling while hearing a petition filed by a woman named Revathy, who had approached the court after the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Chennai declined to process her application without her husband’s signature on Form-J.
Revathy informed the court that she had applied for a passport in April 2025. Her application, however, remained unprocessed. Upon inquiry, she was told by officials that her husband’s signature was mandatory due to a pending matrimonial dispute between them. Her husband had filed a case seeking dissolution of their marriage, which was still before a local court.
In response, Revathy approached the High Court seeking relief.
“It is not necessary for a wife to get the permission of her husband and take his signature before applying for a passport before the authority,” the judge observed in his order.
Justice Venkatesh said the insistence on the husband’s consent reflected a regressive mindset. “The RPO’s insistence shows the mindset of treating married women as if they are chattel belonging to the husband,” he remarked, adding that it was “shocking” that such a condition was being imposed. The court found it unreasonable to expect the petitioner to secure her husband’s signature, especially when their relationship was under strain. “The RPO was virtually expecting the petitioner to fulfil an impossibility,” the judge said.
He further noted, “A wife can always apply for a passport without the permission or signature of the husband in any form. A married woman does not lose her individuality.”
Directing the RPO to process Revathy’s application without further delay, the court instructed that the passport be issued within four weeks, provided all other formalities are met.