The Allahabad high court has granted relief to BBC journalist Mohammad Seraj Ali, who was named in a first information report (FIR) in connection with his reportage on the demolition of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case had led to the impounding of Seraj’s passport and restrictions on his international travel.
Seraj had moved the high court challenging two orders issued by the Barabanki courts—one dated May 5, 2025, and the other dated August 21, 2023—which had rejected his application for a no objection certificate (NOC) necessary for the issuance or renewal of his passport.
Justice Abdul Moin noted that the trial court had failed to refer to the relevant office memorandums dated October 10, 2019, and August 25, 1993, while deciding Seraj’s request.
The court observed that this omission amounted to a “clear non-application of mind” and cited the recent judgment in Mohammad Ayaz v. State of UP in support of the decision to overturn the lower court's orders, reported Bar and Bench.
Quashing both the trial court orders, the high court allowed Seraj to file a fresh application for passport renewal or re-issuance before the Regional Passport Officer within 20 days.
The court directed that the passport authority must take a decision on the application within one month of its receipt, following due verification and formalities, and in view of the certified copy of the high court order.
The court stipulated that Seraj must obtain prior permission from the trial court before travelling abroad.
A copy of the order will be forwarded to the deputy Solicitor General of India and the Additional Government Advocate of the state for communication to the relevant authorities.
Seraj’s counsel contended that the NOC had been wrongly denied, arguing that the trial court had failed to consider the applicable government guidelines on passport renewals in the context of pending criminal matters.
The counsel cited the office memorandums and the High Court’s recent ruling in Mohammad Ayaz Anas v. State of UP to support their case.
The FIR against Seraj stemmed from a video report he co-authored with journalist Mukul Singh Chauhan for The Wire, titled “How a Mosque in UP’s Barabanki was Demolished”*, which was published on June 22, 2021.
The report came in the wake of the demolition of a mosque in Ram Sanehi Ghat by the district administration on May 17, 2021.
The administration had claimed the mosque was an illegal structure.
National and international media outlets including BBC Hindi, The Guardian, and ANI had reported on the demolition incident.
An FIR was lodged on June 24, 2021, against several individuals including Seraj, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
Following the publication of the report, Seraj resigned from The Wire in September 2021 and joined BBC India as a video journalist.
On May 22, 2022, a charge sheet was filed in the case and a trial court took cognizance.
Seraj applied for passport renewal on September 30, 2022, disclosing the pending criminal case, as his passport was set to expire in April 2023.
The regional passport office required a NOC or a judicial order from the trial court, which was denied, leading to the present plea before the high court.