Where the Central Government is of the opinion that it is necessary or expedient in the public interest so to do, it may, by notification in the Official Gazette and subject to such conditions, if any, as it may specify in the notification,--

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(a) exempt any person or class of persons from the operation of all or any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder; and

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(b) as often as may be, cancel any such notification and again subject, by a like notification, the person or class of persons to the operation of such provisions.

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(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

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(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:--

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(a) the appointment, jurisdiction, control and functions of passport authorities;

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(b) the classes of persons to whom passports and travel documents referred to respectively in sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 4 may be issued;

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(c) the form and particulars of application for the issue or renewal of a passport or travel document or for endorsement on a passport or travel document and where the application is for the renewal, the time within which it shall be made;

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(d) the period for which passports and travel documents shall continue in force;

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(e) the form in which and the conditions subject to which the different classes of passports and travel documents may be issued, renewed or varied;

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¹[(ee) specifying the foreign country for the purposes of the Explanation to sub-section (1) of section 5;]

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(f) the fees payable in respect of ²[any application for the issue of a passport under sub-section (1) of section 5 or issue of a passport for visiting a foreign country referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 5] or travel document or for varying any endorsement or making a fresh endorsement on a passport or a travel document and the fees payable in respect of any appeal under this Act;

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(g) the appointment of appellate authorities under sub-section (1) of section 11, the jurisdiction of, and the procedure which may be followed by, such appellate authorities;

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(h) the services (including the issue of a duplicate passport or travel document in lieu of a passport or travel document lost, damaged or destroyed) which may be rendered in relation to a passport or travel document and the fees therefor;

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(i) any other matter which is to be or may be prescribed or in respect of which this Act makes no provision or makes insufficient provision and provision is, in the opinion of the Central Government, necessary for the proper implementation of the Act.

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(3) Every rule made under this Act shall be laid as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or ¹⁸ in two or more successive sessions and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

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