Delhi HC Directs Customs to Release Arab Minor’s Childhood Jewellery

Gopika Vennankot Govind Vs Union of India & Ors. (Delhi High Court) Delhi High Court quashed the Customs Department’s order seizing two gold chains belonging to a 17-year-old minor, Gopika Vennankot Govind, who was traveling from the UAE to India for a wedding. The jewellery, weighing 49 grams and valued at ₹3,15,795, was detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport on April 9, 2024. Customs authorities confiscated the items, citing violations under the Customs Act, 1962, and imposed fines and warehousing charges. The petitioner argued that the jewellery had been worn since chil...