Bengaluru activist gets customs relief on Covid oxygen concentrator imports

A Bengaluru activist, Vinay Kumar, has been granted a reprieve from a Rs 35 lakh customs duty notice imposed on oxygen concentrators that were donated free of charge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kumar, a resident of Rajajinagar, coordinated the fundraising and delivery of around 700 oxygen concentrators from Europe with the assistance of German contacts from the group Technology Without Borders in May 2021.

In March, Kumar received a notice seeking customs duty on the devices, claiming they were imported for personal use. However, on August 5, a customs court dismissed the demand against the NGO through which the concentrators were routed. The court ruled that there was no evidence to establish any collusion, wilful misstatement, or suppression of facts.

Additionally, the court noted that the show-cause notice was issued on May 18, while the oxygen concentrators were imported in May 2021, which exceeded the two-year limitation period. The court stated that the five-year limitation period could only be invoked in cases where there was clear suppression of facts, which was not the case here.

Kumar expressed surprise at receiving the notice despite complying with all the rules, stating that reasonable doubt of wrongdoing must be present for the limitation period to be extended. The activist, known for his Reclaim Constitution initiative, emphasized that the court found no evidence of wrongdoing or misstatement in the import of the oxygen concentrators.