Foreign Ministry suspends Mallya’s diplomatic passport

Within days of a request from the Enforcement Directorate, in connection with a money laundering probe in the over Rs. 900 crore IDBI Bank loan fraud case, the Ministry of External Affairs has suspended Vijay Mallya’s diplomatic passport. It has also threatened to revoke it if he doesn’t appear before the Indian High Commission in London within a week.

• The External Affairs Ministry has suspended the validity of Mr. Mallya’s diplomatic passport under Section 10 A of the Passports Act. Section 10 A of the Act empowers the authorities to suspend passports or travel documents in certain cases.
• Mallya, whose ordinary passport is also rendered invalid by a Ministry order, is now left with the sole option of returning to the country on an emergency certificate issued by the Indian mission.

Types of Indian Passport:

There are three types of Indian Passport, which are-

• Regular Passport has a Navy Blue cover and is issued for ordinary travel, such as vacations and business trips.
• Diplomatic Passport has a Maroon cover and is issued to Indian diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers.
• Official Passport has a White cover and it is issued to individuals representing the Indian government on official business.