law: Passports Act, 1967
  5. Applications for passports, travel
  
  documents, etc., and orders thereon
  1[(1) An application for the issue of a
  
  passport under this Act for visiting such foreign country or countries (not
  
  being a named foreign country) as may be specified in the application may be
  
  made to the passport authority and shall be accompanied by 2[Such fee as may be
  
  prescribed to meet the expenses incurred on special security paper, printing,
  
  lamination and other connected miscellaneous services in issuing passports and
  
  other travel documents].
  Explanation.- In this section,
  
  "named foreign country" means such foreign country as the Central
  
  Government may, by rules made under this Act, specify in this behalf.
  (1A) An application for the issue of-
  (i) a passport under
  
  this Act for visiting a named foreign country; or
  (ii) a travel document
  
  under this Act, for visiting such foreign country or countries (including a
  
  named foreign country) as may be specified in the application or for an
  
  endorsement on the passport or travel document referred to in this section, may
  
  be made to the passport authority and shall be accompanied by such fee (if any)
  
  not exceeding rupees fifty, as may be prescribed.
  (1B) Every application under this section
  
  shall be in such form and contain such particulars as may be prescribed.]
  (2) On receipt of an application 3[under this
  
  section], the passport authority, after making such inquiry, if any. as it may
  
  consider necessary, shall, subject to the other provisions of this Act, by
  
  order in writing,-
  (a) issue the passport
  
  or travel documents with endorsement, or, as the case may be, make on the
  
  passport or travel document the endorsement, in respect of the foreign country
  
  or countries specified in the application; or
  (b) issue the passport
  
  or travel document with endorsement, or, as the case may be, make on the
  
  passport or travel document the endorsement, in respect of one or more of the
  
  foreign countries specified in the application and refuse to make an
  
  endorsement in respect of the other country or countries; or
  (c) refuse to issue
  
  the passport or travel document or, as the case may be, refuse to make on the
  
  passport or travel document any endorsement.
  (3) Where the passport authority makes an
  
  order under clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (2) on the application of
  
  any person, it shall record in writing a brief statement of its reasons for
  
  making such order and furnish to that person 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 copy.