The J&K High Court on Thursday (October 8, 2026) directed the authorities to grant a passport to a female medical student studying in Iran, months after her passport was impounded due to her father’s case registered in 1997.

“The present order is being passed in the peculiar circumstances of the case, particularly having regard to the fact that the appellant has already completed half of her MBBS course under the permission granted by the respondents. Depriving her of the opportunity to complete the remaining course would jeopardise her career in completing her MBBS course,” observed J&K Chief Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal.

Considering that the student, a resident of Srinagar, had completed half of her MBBS course and was required to complete the remaining half, the division bench of the court held, “We dispose of the present appeal by directing that the passport be revived for the remaining period required for completion of her MBBS course.

The medical student, who was pursuing her MBBS at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Kish Campus, lran, returned to India earlier this year due to the ongoing war between Iran and the U.S.-Israel. On her return, her passport was impounded in May this year. The decision to impound her passport was apparently carried out because of her father's case registered in 1997, in the wake of an “adverse police report”. The report also alleges that she “may join anti-India forces, thereby jeopardising the security and sovereignty of the country”.

However, the High Court held that if there was any material on record, the authorities “before revival of the passport, [can] conduct a fresh security audit and impose such conditions as may be considered necessary on the basis of their expert assessment”. 

The Passport Office in Srinagar impounded the medical student’s passport in spite of the fact that a fresh passport was issued to her in October 2024 for a period of 10 years. Since then, the female student has completed two years of the course “on the strength of the passport and the admission granted to her”. The court was informed that the Iranian university was also recognised by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

Pleading the case, advocate Salih Pirzada informed the court that the student “is not involved in any criminal activity”.

“The authorities have relied upon an adverse police verification report without disclosing its contents or any material in support. The assertion that there exists an adverse report against her would continue to cast a stigma upon the academic and professional career of the appellant without there being any truth or material in support,” said Mr. Pirzada.