Courts Cannot Impound Passport as Bail Condition , Rules Madras High Court

The Madras High Court held that courts cannot direct an accused to surrender or impound their passport as a condition for bail, as this power lies exclusively with passport authorities under the Passports Act.

It clarified that while courts can impose conditions to ensure presence, impounding a passport falls outside their jurisdiction.

Relying on established precedent, the Court noted that special law (Passports Act) overrides general criminal procedure provisions.

Accordingly, it set aside the bail condition requiring surrender of the passport, while retaining other conditions like travel restrictions and periodic reporting.

[Raja v. The Inspector of Police]