Bengaluru:
Kannada film actress Ranya Rao, also known as Harshavardhini Ranya, who was arrested in a high-profile gold smuggling case, told the Karnataka High Court on Thursday that the search and seizure carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) violated provisions of the Customs Act.
Appearing before Justice S Vishwajith Shetty, senior advocate Sandesh J Chouta, representing Ranya, argued that the search was conducted in violation of Section 102 of the Customs Act, which mandates that any person being searched has the right to be taken before a magistrate or a gazetted customs officer.
He claimed that failure to comply with this provision rendered the entire seizure invalid.
Chouta also highlighted procedural irregularities in the search and arrest, citing discrepancies in the mahazar and the notices issued before the operation.
He pointed out that the officer who led the search and arrest was merely stated to be a gazetted officer, raising doubts about the legality of the entire operation.
In addition, Chouta told the court that the grounds of arrest were not formally communicated to Ranya’s family members in writing, as required under the law.
“They (officials) only informed Ranya’s husband over a phone call, which is not in accordance with the mandate,” he submitted.
To support his arguments, Chouta cited two Supreme Court rulings: Vihaan Kumar v. State of Haryana and Anr and Radhika Agarwal v. Union of India and Ors.
Justice Shetty asked whether Ranya had disputed her signature on the consent notices, to which her counsel responded in the negative.
Chouta further argued that offences under the Customs Act-being compoundable and punishable with less than seven years’ imprisonment-are typically considered for bail by magistrate courts.
He also noted that Ranya, being a woman, has already been in custody for over 45 days.
The court adjourned the bail plea filed by Ranya and her co-accused, Tarun Konduru Raju, to April 21, directing the authorities to file their objections by then.
Ranya was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after authorities seized gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore.
A subsequent raid at her residence led to the recovery of gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and Rs 2.67 crore in cash.
She faces charges under multiple provisions of Sections 135 and 104 of the Customs Act.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)