2 Gold Bangles and 2 iPhones Seized from Dubai Passenger Found to Be Wedding Gifts: Delhi HC Orders Release [Read Order]

In a recent ruling, the Delhi High Court directed the CustomsDepartment to release two gold bangles and two iPhones seized from a Dubai passenger, after finding that the items were wedding gifts and not meant for any unlawful purpose. The release was ordered upon payment of the redemption fine and applicable duty in terms of the appellate order.

Puja Kumari, the petitioner, approached the High Court under Article 226 seeking release of the detained items that were seized when she arrived in India on 10 October 2023. She explained that she had married in February 2023 and had travelled to Dubai to join her husband. According to her, the gold bangles and iPhones were received as wedding gifts during her stay abroad.

An order-in-original dated 19 December 2023 had directed absolute confiscation of the items, denied her free allowance, declared her an ineligible passenger, and imposed a penalty of Rs. 1,20,000 under Sections 112(a) and 112(b) of the Customs Act.

The petitioner challenged this order before the Appellate Authority, which on 3 March 2025 examined her marriage certificate, her husband’s UAE resident card, and other documents. The Appellate Authority observed that the items appeared to be bona fide goods meant for her personal use as a newly married bride. It explained that there was no allegation of her acting as a carrier, being a habitual offender, or having any link with a smuggling syndicate.

The Authority pointed out that Section 125 of the Customs Act provides an option to redeem confiscated goods on payment of fine and that absolute confiscation was not justified in her case. It modified the original order and allowed release of the goods on payment of a redemption fine of Rs. 1,30,000 along with duty, while upholding the penalty.

The petitioner then sought enforcement of this appellate order before the High Court. The Customs Department informed the Court that it had filed a revision against the appellate decision, and because of this, the release had not been processed. On 18 August 2025, the High Court directed the Revisional Authority to decide the revision within two months.

The Revisional Authority passed its order on 22 October 2025, which was placed before the Court. It dismissed the revision and held that there was no infirmity in the Appellate Authority’s reasoning and no ground to interfere.

In view of the dismissal of the revision, the Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Shail Jain held that the order-in-appeal dated 3 March 2025 now had to be implemented. It directed the Customs Department to give effect to the appellate order and release the goods once the petitioner pays the amounts specified.

The court also waived warehousing charges, observing that the petitioner should not suffer for delays caused by multiple levels of departmental challenge. It directed the petitioner to appear before the Customs Department on 24 November 2025 and appointed the concerned Superintendent as the nodal officer to facilitate compliance. The writ petition was disposed of.

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