https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=398633 Madras HC considered whether a foreign national's seized passport should be returned in a customs prosecution for alleged gold smuggling, where the passport was not itself connected to the offence. The Court held that continued custody of the passport was unnecessary for the customs case, especially because it also hindered compliance with immigration and FRRO requirements after the visa period had expired. It allowed return of the passport subject to safeguards securing presence and regulatory compliance, including a bar on leaving India until completion of proceedings, disclosure of a residential address, liberty to seek visa extension, and completion of any compounding proceedings within a fixed time. en-us Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0530 Mon, 21 Sep 2020 11:09:24 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=398633 Madras HC considered whether a foreign national's seized passport should be returned in a customs prosecution for alleged gold smuggling, where the passport was not itself connected to the offence. The Court held that continued custody of the passport was unnecessary for the customs case, especially because it also hindered compliance with immigration and FRRO requirements after the visa period had expired. It allowed return of the passport subject to safeguards securing presence and regulatory compliance, including a bar on leaving India until completion of proceedings, disclosure of a residential address, liberty to seek visa extension, and completion of any compounding proceedings within a fixed time. Case-Laws Customs Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=398633