law: Passports Act, 1967
  10. Variation, impounding and revocation of
  
  passports and travel documents
  (1) The passport authority may, having regard
  
  to the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 6 or any notification under
  
  section 19, vary or cancel the endorsements on a passport or travel document or
  
  may, with the previous approval of the Central Government, vary or cancel the
  
  conditions (other than the prescribed conditions) subject to which a passport
  
  or travel document has been issued and may, for that purpose, require the
  
  holder of a passport or a travel document, by notice in writing, to deliver up
  
  the passport or travel document to it within such time as may be specified in
  
  the notice and the holder shall comply with such notice.
  (2) The passport authority may, on the
  
  application of the holder of a passport or a travel document, and with the
  
  previous approval of the Central Government also vary or cancel the conditions
  
  (other than the prescribed conditions) of the passport or travel document.
  (3) The passport authority may impound or
  
  cause to be impounded or revoke a passport or travel document,-
  (a) if the passport
  
  authority is satisfied that the holder of the passport or travel document is in
  
  wrongful possession thereof;
  (b) if the passport or
  
  travel document was obtained by the suppression of material information or on
  
  the basis of wrong information provided by the holder of the passport or travel
  
  document or any other person on his behalf;
  5[Provided that
  
  if the holder of such passport obtains another passport the passport authority
  
  shall also impound or cause to be impounded or revoke such other passport]
  (c) if the passport
  
  authority deems it necessary so to do in the interests of the sovereignty and
  
  integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any
  
  foreign country, or in the interests of the general public;
  (d) if the holder of
  
  the passport or travel document has, at any time after the issue of the
  
  passport or travel document, been convicted by a court in India for any offence
  
  involving moral turpitude and sentenced in respect thereof to imprisonment for
  
  not less than two years;
  (e) if proceedings in
  
  respect of an offence alleged to have been committed by the holder of the
  
  passport or travel document are pending before a criminal court in India.
  (f) if any of the
  
  conditions of the passport or travel document has been contravened;
  (g) if the holder of
  
  the passport or travel document has failed to comply with a notice under
  
  sub-section (1) requiring him to deliver up the same;
  (h) if it is brought
  
  to the notice of the passport authority that a warrant or summons for the
  
  appearance, or a warrant for the arrest, of the holder of the passport or
  
  travel document has been issued by a court under any law for the time being in
  
  force or if an order prohibiting the departure from India of the holder of the
  
  passport or other travel document has been made by any such court and the
  
  passport authority is satisfied that a warrant or summons has been so issued or
  
  an order has been so made.
  (4) The passport authority may also revoke a
  
  passport or travel document on the application of the holder thereof.
  (5) Where the passport authority makes an
  
  order varying or canceling the endorsements on, or varying the conditions of, a
  
  passport or travel document under sub-section (1) or an order impounding or
  
  revoking a passport or travel document under sub-section (3), it shall record
  
  in writing a brief statement of the reasons for making such order and furnish
  
  to the holder of the passport or travel document on demand a copy of the same
  
  unless in any case, the passport authority is of the opinion that it will not be
  
  in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of
  
  India. friendly relations of India with any foreign country or in the interests
  
  of the general public to furnish such a copy.
  (6) The authority to whom the passport
  
  authority is subordinate may, by order in writing, impound or cause to be
  
  impounded or revoke a passport or travel document on any ground on which it may
  
  be impounded or revoked by the passport authority and the foregoing provisions
  
  of this section shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to the impounding or
  
  revocation of a passport or travel document by such authority.
  (7) A court convicting the holder of a
  
  passport or travel document of any offence under this Act or the rules made
  
  thereunder may also revoke the passport or travel document:
  Provided that if the conviction is set aside on
  
  appeal or otherwise the revocation shall become void.
  (8) An order of revocation under sub-section
  
  (7) may also be made by an appellate court or by the High Court when exercising
  
  its powers of revision.
  (9) On the revocation of a passport or travel
  
  document under this section the holder thereof shall, without delay, surrender
  
  the passport or travel document, if the same has not already been impounded, to
  
  the authority by whom it has been revoked or to such other authority as may be
  
  specified in this behalf in the order of revocation.