Summary: Urban Essentials faced a legal battle to release imported sanitary products held by customs due to regulatory issues. The court ruled in favor of the company, allowing the release under certain conditions.
Urban Essentials India Pvt. Ltd., represented by Mr. Prince Kapoor, faced issues with the release of imported sanitary products. The goods were stuck at Chennai Customs due to compliance issues with the Medical Textiles (Quality Control) Order, 2024.
The company imported sanitary napkins and panty liners from China in March 2025. However, a customs alert on February 27, 2025, raised questions about whether the Quality Control Order applied to imports, causing delays.
On June 27, 2025, the court told customs to make a decision within four weeks. By August 22, 2025, the head of Customs ordered the goods to be taken away, saying they didn't meet the required standards, and imposed fines.
Urban Essentials challenged the order. On October 31, 2025, the court dismissed their request but allowed them to appeal to a higher authority. The appeal was filed, and on December 22, 2025, the higher authority temporarily stopped the customs order.
"We grant stay of the operation of the impugned order pending this Appeal." - CESTAT, December 22, 2025.
Judge V. Lakshminarayanan decided on December 26, 2025, to allow the release of goods. The company must deposit Rs.15,00,000 within 24 hours, ensuring they follow the court's conditions.
The court ultimately decided in favor of Urban Essentials, allowing them to release their imported products under specific conditions, such as depositing a certain amount of money to ensure compliance.
