Burden of proof for notified gold and sale proceeds of smuggled goods controls confiscation and penalty exposure

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Full Text of the Document

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....Gold is a notified item, so the person in possession must prove lawful acquisition and possession; where no bills, vouchers or contemporaneous records are produced, the statutory presumption under Section 123 remains unrebutted and absolute confiscation is justified. For Indian currency to be treated as sale proceeds of smuggled goods under Section 121, the Revenue must show a clear nexus and reasonable belief based on cogent evidence; mere suspicion or uncorroborated statements are insufficient, so the currency confiscation was unsustainable. On penalty, the Tribunal deleted the sanction against the accompanying person for lack of recovery or ative link, while sustaining but reducing the penalty on the person directly connected with the foreign-origin gold.....