Karnataka High Court notice to DRI on Ranya Rao’s plea seeking release on bail  

High Court of Karnataka orders notice to DRI in gold smuggling case, adjourns bail hearing for actor Ranya Rao.

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday ordered issue of notice to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on a petition filed by actor Harshavardini Ranya Rao seeking release on bail in the gold smuggling case.

Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty, before whom the petition came up for hearing, has adjourned further hearing on the petition till Aptil 17 while asking the DRI to file its statement of objections by then.

Ranya was arrested on March 3 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru after it was found that she was carrying about 14 kg of gold bars illegally, as she had failed to declare the gold bars in her possession at the customs desk in the airport.

Her bail petitions were rejected both by the metropolitan magistrate court as well as the sessions court. In its March 27 order, the sessions court had found no procedural illegality in arresting her by the DRI officials.

Even though the offences alleged do not carry life and death sentences, the sessions court declined to enlarge her bail by pointing out that it is a serious offence impacting the country’s economy. The sessions court also noted that enlarging her bail could impact investigations underway, as the DRI had alleged that she and another accused had indulged in Hawala transactions.