Published Jun 29, 2026 | 3:21 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 29, 2026 | 3:21 PM
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Synopsis: Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan has urged West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to intervene in the passport renewal case of senior journalist R Rajagopal after the Kolkata Police allegedly submitted an adverse verification report citing the deletion of his name from the electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Satheesan’s letter follows Rajagopal publicly recounting the problems he faced after his name was excluded on account of what were described as “logical discrepancies”.
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari seeking his urgent intervention in the reported delay in renewing senior journalist R Rajagopal’s passport after the Kolkata Police allegedly submitted an adverse verification report citing the deletion of his name from the electoral roll.
In a letter dated 29 June, Satheesan noted that the deletion of Rajagopal’s name from the electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is already being challenged through the statutory appellate process and requested the West Bengal Chief Minister to look into the passport matter urgently.
“He has had a distinguished career in journalism spanning more than three decades, including serving as editor of The Telegraph. He is also the son of Professor V Ramadas, who served as state secretary of the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi in Kerala and was widely respected for his public service. In these circumstances, I would like to request your good self to kindly look into the matter with urgency,” Satheesan wrote.
I have written to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, requesting his urgent intervention in the reported denial of passport renewal to renowned journalist #RRajagopal. According to reports, his passport renewal has been held up following an adverse police verification report from… pic.twitter.com/lfy4ecLI4Q
— V D Satheesan (@vdsatheesan) June 29, 2026
Also Read: In Kerala, a Muslim woman gave a former RSS worker a dignified farewell. Then came the politics
The intervention comes after Rajagopal publicly recounted the difficulties he faced following the deletion of his name from the electoral roll of Kolkata’s Ballygunge Assembly constituency during the Special Intensive Revision on account of “logical discrepancies”.
He said his appeal against the deletion is pending before a tribunal constituted pursuant to the Supreme Court’s directions.
Rajagopal said the deletion subsequently affected the police verification for his passport renewal application. Although he completed the biometric formalities on 19 March, the police verification was not cleared.
Last week, passport authorities informed him that the Kolkata Police had submitted an adverse report citing the deletion of his name from the voters’ list and asked him to appear before the Regional Passport Office. However, the earliest appointment available was 17 July.
He said the delay prevented him from travelling to San Francisco to attend his daughter’s wedding on 17 April, despite holding a valid 10-year US visa.
