Gold recovery not sole test of involvement in smuggling: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has ruled against quashing a gold smuggling case against an airport cleaning staff member, emphasizing that the physical recovery of contraband should not be the sole determining factor of involvement in the crime. Justice M Nagaprasanna stated that gold smuggling is not merely an act of carrying a precious metal across borders, but poses a threat to the economic interests of the nation if allowed to be facilitated through organized networks.

In a case involving Bengaluru airport cleaning staffer Nandeesha N, the court ruled against quashing the charges under the Customs Act for evasion of duty or prohibitions. Nandeesha argued that the smuggled gold was recovered from a jeep outside the airport, not from him, and that he was innocent, working as a cleaning personnel in aircraft.

The customs department alleged that two gold bars were smuggled from a Saudi Airlines flight from Jeddah to Bengaluru, and that the cleaning staff member retrieved the contraband from the aircraft. Advocate Madhu N Rao, representing the customs department, emphasized that the investigation is in its early stages and that only a showcause notice was issued to Nandeesha, with the department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence trying to uncover the entire modus operandi.

The court ruled that such a notice calls for an answer and does not pronounce guilt, and that Nandeesha's culpability is yet to be determined.