Delhi Court Frames Charges Against Sushil Ansal for Alleged Passport Misdeclaration

Law Notify : A Delhi court has formally framed criminal charges against businessman Sushil Ansal in a case alleging misdeclaration and suppression of material facts under the Passports Act, 1967.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta of Patiala House Courts has framed charges against Ansal for offences punishable under Sections 420 (cheating), 177 (furnishing false information to a public servant) and 181 (false statement on oath) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, along with Section 12 of the Passports Act. The court has summoned two prosecution witnesses and fixed April 25 for recording of prosecution evidence. Ansal appeared through video conferencing, denied the allegations, and claimed innocence.

According to the prosecution, Ansal deliberately concealed his criminal conviction and the pendency of several criminal cases while seeking renewal of his passport in 2013 and again in 2018. It is alleged that this suppression of material facts misled passport authorities into issuing travel documents that would not otherwise have been granted under law.

The trial court held that there was sufficient prima facie material to proceed. Referring to an earlier order dated November 28, 2025, the court noted that Ansal had consciously omitted details of pending criminal cases and his conviction in the sworn affidavit submitted with his 2013 passport application. Similar suppression, the court observed, was evident in the undertaking filed with his 2018 application.

The CJM ruled that the alleged misdeclarations amounted to inducement by misrepresentation, meeting the essential ingredients of cheating under Section 420 IPC. It observed that the Regional Passport Office would not have issued passports to Ansal but for the concealment of material facts, which was compounded by what the court described as deficient police verification reports. The conduct attributed to the accused, the court said, indicated wrongful gain to Ansal and corresponding wrongful loss to the public authority.

The court also held that offences under Sections 177 and 181 IPC were prima facie made out, as Ansal was legally bound to furnish complete and truthful information to a public servant and had allegedly filed false affidavits before a statutory authority. However, it clarified that the ingredients of Sections 192 and 197 IPC, relating to fabrication of false evidence, were not attracted on the facts of the case.

Ansal has challenged the order framing charges before the Sessions Court. The appellate court has issued notice on his revision petition and listed the matter for hearing on February 20.

The FIR was registered by the Delhi Police Crime Branch following directions of the Delhi High Court in a petition filed by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy. During proceedings before the High Court, it emerged that Ansal had allegedly obtained passports on multiple occasions by submitting applications containing false declarations or by suppressing material information about his criminal antecedents.

After completion of the investigation, a charge sheet was filed for offences under Sections 177 and 181 IPC and Section 12 of the Passports Act. The trial court took cognisance of these offences on February 27, 2021, and summoned Ansal.

Sushil Ansal was earlier convicted in connection with the Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy of June 13, 1997, which occurred during the screening of the film Border and resulted in the deaths of 59 people.