Police verification is the single most common cause of a passport, government job appointment letter or tenant police-NOC running late. The verification file moves through four desks: Beat Constable, Station House Officer, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Superintendent of Police. An RTI under Section 6 of the RTI Act 2005 asking for the date the file reached each desk, the present custodian, and the dispatch register entry to the requesting authority is the most effective way to unblock it.
Use this guide when (a) Passport Seva sends an SMS saying “police verification is in progress” but nothing moves for weeks; (b) a government recruiting body is holding back your appointment letter pending PV; © you applied for a tenant police-NOC and the local SHO has not visited; (d) a school, MNC or visa office has asked for a police clearance certificate that is still pending. The verification system is the same across these use cases, only the requesting authority changes.
The Central Information Commission has held in G S Vohra v MEA (CIC/AT/2008) and R K Aggarwal v Delhi Police (CIC/SS/2011) that police verification reports for passport purposes are disclosable, with personal third-party material redacted under Section 8(1)(j) and Section 10.
To, The Public Information Officer, Office of the Superintendent of Police, [District] [Full address] Subject: RTI under Section 6 regarding police verification dated [DD/MM/YYYY] for [Passport / Tenant / Job / Character Certificate] Sir / Madam, I, [Full name], aged [age], a citizen of India, resident of [address], request the following information under the RTI Act 2005. Fee of Rs. 10 paid by IPO no. [number, date]. In respect of the police verification request received in your office in connection with my [Passport file no. / Job recruitment ref. / Tenant verification application] dated [DD/MM/YYYY]: 1. Date and diary number on which the request was received in your office. 2. Date on which it was forwarded to the SHO of police station [Name]. 3. Date and entry number in the station daily diary recording allocation to a beat constable. 4. Name and badge number of the beat constable assigned. 5. Date(s) on which the beat constable visited my address. 6. Copy of the beat constable's report (with personal third-party data redacted under Section 10). 7. Date and noting of the SHO endorsement. 8. Date and noting of the SDPO endorsement. 9. Date of signature by the Superintendent of Police. 10. Dispatch register entry showing date of dispatch to the requesting authority and mode of dispatch. 11. Present physical location of the file and name, designation of present custodian. 12. Reasons recorded for delay beyond [number of days] days. I invoke Section 10 (severability) and Section 6(3) (transfer). Section 8(1)(j) is not pleadable for routine verification records. I undertake to pay further fee under Section 7(3). Yours faithfully, [Signature, name, date]
Yes for fresh passport in most cases; pre-PV passports are issued for re-issue when the previous PV is clear. The Passport Manual lists the categories.
No. Demanding bribe for verification is corruption and a cognisable offence. File a vigilance complaint at the Anti-Corruption Bureau and a parallel RTI for the file movement.
Yes, your name and address are on the application. This is normal. Filing an RTI cannot legally cause adverse action against you.
Ask for the report of any home visits and a fresh visit if needed. The Passport Manual allows verification at the present address even if the application listed an older one.
The Passport Seva norm is 21 days from the date the SP receives the request. Anything longer is a delay you can challenge.
Yes, daily diary and station diary are accessible records. Personal data of third parties can be redacted under Section 10.
If your state has notified its Special Branch under Section 24(4), parts of that record may be exempt, but the CIC has held that allegations of corruption and human rights violations remain disclosable.
Last reviewed: 9 May 2026.