In J Revathy v. Government of India (2025 LiveLaw (Mad) 210), the Madras High Court held that a wife does not need her husband’s authorisation or signature to apply for a passport. Justice Anand Venkatesh criticised the Passport Authority’s regressive insistence on such consent during pending divorce proceedings, affirming that marriage does not diminish a woman’s legal autonomy. The Court directed the Regional Passport Office to process and issue the petitioner’s passport within four weeks, subject to legal requirements.
