In his order, the judge said that in the considered view of this court, the application submitted by the petitioner seeking a passport has to be processed independently.

"It is not necessary for a wife to get the permission of her husband and take his signature before applying for a passport before the authority", the judge added.

He said this insistence made by the RPO shows the mindset of the society in treating women who were married as if they were chattel belonging to the husband.

It was quite shocking that the passport office was insisting for the permission of the husband and his signature in a particular form in order to process the application submitted by the petitioner for the passport.

Already the relationship between the petitioner and her husband was in doldrums and the RPO was expecting the petitioner to get the signature of the husband.

Virtually, the RPO was insisting the petitioner to fulfill an impossibility, the judge added.

The judge said the petitioner after marriage does not lose her individuality and a wife can always apply for a passport without the permission or signature of the husband in any form.

"The practice of insisting for permission from the husband to apply for a passport, does not augur well for a society which is moving towards woman emancipation.

This practice is nothing short of male supremacism", the judge added.

The judge directed the RPO to process the application submitted by the petitioner and issue a passport in her name on her satisfying the other requirements.

This process shall be completed within four weeks, the judge added.

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