Kochi, 4 July

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday said senior journalist Rajagopal Ramadas has received his renewed passport, days after he had sought the intervention of the West Bengal government in the matter.

In a Facebook post, Satheesan said Rajagopal himself had informed the chief minister’s office that the passport had been issued.

“When it came to my notice that his passport renewal had been denied because his name was not included in the electoral roll, I immediately wrote to the chief minister of West Bengal. The process for renewing the passport was initiated the very same day,” Satheesan said.

“I share the happiness of Rajagopal, one of the country’s distinguished journalists,” he added.

Rajagopal’s passport renewal application had allegedly been held up following an adverse police verification report, drawing criticism from journalists and political leaders across the country.

Satheesan and former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan were among those who had strongly demanded the passport renewal of Rajagopal, the former editor of The Telegraph.