Personal Gold Ring Received as a Gift Cannot be Seized: High Court Criticises Customs Department for Delay in Release

The Delhi High Court has recently directed the Customs Department to release a 21-gram personal gold ring seized from a passenger at the IGI Airport. The passenger, Sayara (petitioner), had come from Dubai on July 14, 2024, when the gold ring was confiscated by the Customs Officers.

The petitioner claimed that the ring was a personal gift from her brother-in-law. However, the Customs authorities detained the ring, as per the Notification No. 50/2017-Customs dated 30.06.2017 (as amended), read with Baggage Rules, 2016 (as amended).

The matter was sent to the Delhi High Court, which ordered the Customs authorities to release the said ring, holding that it was personal jewellery and could not be detained. The Court, in its order dated July 21, 2025, clearly mentioned that the petitioner should not face any penalty. The said order was also accepted by the Customs Department. However, even after this, the gold ring was not released, and the petitioner filed a writ petition.

The High Court noted that the detention of the gold ring was completely misplaced by the Customs Authorities, especially when the ring was a personal item received as a gift. The Court highlighted that once the customs department had accepted the release order, the delay in releasing the Gold Ring was unreasonable.

The court ordered the Customs Department to release the gold ring without any additional charges or penalties. Additionally, the department was ordered to pay Rs. 5,000 as costs to the petitioner.