SYED ASHWAQ AHMED vs JT.SECRETARY & CHIEF PASSPORT OFR.

The Supreme Court dismissed the Special Leave Petition challenging the Karnataka High Court's order which denied the Petitioner, a travel agent not affiliated with the Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI), the right to perform passport work. The Court held that the Petitioner, having started operations in 1997, was not entitled to the benefits of the scheme established on 18th July 2000, which only recognized travel agents who had been operational before July 1992. The Court affirmed the High Court's ruling that the derecognition of travel agents was valid and that the Petitioner did not meet the eligibility criteria set forth in the guidelines.