Noticee entitled to fair adjudication, says High Court

Two petitioners say evidence to establish their defence not available

Taking note of the fact that two petitioners accused of trying to smuggle gold and electronic gadgets into India in 2019 were denied access to a vital piece of evidence – CCTV footage collected at Tiruchi airport – to establish their defence, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed that their right to fair adjudication had been violated. The court was hearing the petitions filed by Mohammed Haroon and Shaik Mohammed, seeking a direction to the authorities to allow re-export of the gold ornaments and electronic gadgets. They claimed that they had intended to declare the contents of their baggage to the Customs officials and pay duty. But they were intercepted by Customs officials and the goods were seized.