☰
Kannada actress Ranya Rao's bail hearing, following her arrest for alleged gold smuggling at Bengaluru airport, has been postponed. Her lawyer argues procedural lapses by the DRI during her arrest warrant conditional bail.
Bengaluru: A special court in Bengaluru postponed the bail hearing of Kannada actress Ranya Rao, who was arrested at Bengaluru airport for allegedly smuggling gold. The court will consider Ranya's bail application on March 14.
Ranya Rao was represented by senior advocate Kiran Javali, who argued at a special court that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) committed procedural lapses during her arrest, making her eligible for conditional bail.
Javali claimed that the DRI failed to follow Customs Act rules, including not providing the "grounds of arrest" and not conducting the search in the presence of a gazetted officer or magistrate. He also pointed out that Ranya was not informed of the charges against her and was not presented before a Gazetted Customs Officer or a Magistrate.
“We are not debating whether Ranya is guilty or not, but procedural lapses by investigators warrant bail. DRI officials issued an arrest memo during arrest, but did not provide ‘grounds of arrest’. This is a must as per guidelines set by the Supreme Court in the DK Basu case,” he argued.
According to the DRI, Ranya was detained at the Green Channel of Bengaluru airport after 1.4 kg of gold was found strapped to her waist and calf. The search led to the seizure of 24K gold bars, including some found in her shoes and trouser pockets. Ranya initially consented to the search but later challenged the procedure.
Javali argued that since Ranya is a woman, she is entitled to bail, and that the investigation can continue if required. He also stated that Ranya has cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so.
“This is not a murder case and conditional bail can be granted. Investigation can continue if required. The accused has already cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so. She has been repeatedly questioned by the authorities. Even procedure was not followed during questioning. Once a statement is recorded, there should be a minimum six-hour gap before further questioning. As per the remand petition, my client’s statement was recorded at 1.30 am on March 3. Summons were again issued at 7 am on March 4", Javali told the court.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) denied the claims and revealed that the actress has evaded a staggering Rs 4.6 crores in custom duties.
Contrary to Ranya's claims, the DRI has stated that she failed to provide satisfactory answers to their questions during the interrogation, which was recorded and may be submitted to the court as evidence if required.
Notably, Ranya had filed a bail application on March 7, prior to the DRI being granted her custody.
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.
