Customs bail denied in gold recovery case where seizure, lack of documents, and recorded statement weighed against release.

Gold bars recovered during a customs search, coupled with the absence of supporting documents and the applicant's recorded statement under the Customs Act, were treated as sufficient to negate bail at that stage. The applicant's claim that the gold was ancestral and that the matter might be suitable for compounding did not persuade the Court to grant release. On the available material, no good ground for bail was made out, and the application was rejected.

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Issues: Whether the applicant was entitled to bail in a customs offence case involving recovery of gold bars alleged to be of foreign origin and the evidentiary value of the statement recorded under the Customs Act.

Analysis: Gold bars were recovered from the applicant during search and seizure under the Customs Act, and the prosecution relied on the recovery, valuation, absence of supporting documents, and the applicant's statement recorded under the customs statement provision. The applicant sought bail on the basis that the gold was ancestral and that the matter could be considered for compounding, but the Court found that no good ground for release was made out at that stage.

Conclusion: Bail was not justified and the application was rejected.

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