When can the passport authority deny an applicant a passport?

Under Section 6(2) of the Indian Passports Act, 1967, the passport authority can refuse to issue a passport for specific reasons such as

• the applicant being not a citizen of India;
  
  
• that the applicant may engage, outside India, in activities prejudicial to the country’s sovereignty and integrity, or
  
  
• that the applicant’s departure may be detrimental to the country’s security; or
  
  
• that the person’s presence abroad may prejudice India’s friendly relations with a foreign country.
• Refusal of passport may also be related to a person’s antecedents. Conviction for any offence that involves “moral turpitude” with a sentence of not less than two years in the five preceding years would mean denial of passport.
  
  
• In January 2016, the Delhi High Court upheld the validity of Section 6(2)(f) of the Act, which allows the Centre to refuse a passport to anyone against whom criminal proceedings are pending.