Summary: Tarun Arora's gold chain was taken at Delhi Airport. The court now lets him challenge the decision, even though he missed the deadline.
Tarun Arora, an Indian citizen, had his 100-gram gold chain taken by customs at Delhi Airport on July 16, 2023. He was returning from Bangkok when customs officials stopped him and took the chain. They gave him a receipt for holding onto it right away.
On August 12, 2023, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs decided to take the gold chain permanently. They said Tarun didn’t report the chain properly and fined him ₹60,000. Tarun went to the customs office several times, but things didn't go his way.
“I order absolute confiscation of the above said detained goods,” stated the customs order.
Tarun didn’t challenge the confiscation on time. He claimed that customs officers wrongly advised him that he couldn't challenge the order. Meanwhile, customs argued that Tarun had all the documents since September 2023 and gave up his right to a hearing.
The court, led by Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Shail Jain, found that the customs department’s actions were not entirely correct. They referred to a Supreme Court decision stating that without a proper notice explaining why the chain was taken, goods should be returned.
“The Petitioner cannot be rendered completely remediless in this matter,” the court noted.
The court allowed Tarun to challenge the customs order by January 10, 2026. They assured that the challenge would be judged fairly and not dismissed because it was late. The court also emphasized the importance of considering previous legal decisions.
The challenge is to be resolved quickly, within four months of filing. The court's decision gives Tarun a fair chance to get his gold chain back.
