On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court directed actor Dulquer Salmaan to approach the adjudicating authority under the Customs Act, 1962, to seek the provisional release of his Land Rover Defender.
The vehicle had been seized by Customs officials as part of ‘Operation Numkhor’.
The Court instructed the Customs Department to reach a decision within one week of receiving Dulquer’s application for the vehicle’s release.
The luxury SUV was taken into custody following a raid at Dulquer’s residence, carried out under Operation Numkhor — a crackdown targeting individuals suspected of tax evasion and the illegal import of vehicles from Bhutan using falsified registrations.
“It is proper for the petitioner to approach the adjudicating authority, the Additional Commissioner of Customs, Kochi. In such circumstances, it is ordered that if the petitioner submits an application under Section 110A, the same shall be considered by the competent authority and appropriate orders shall be passed thereon by giving the petitioner or his legal representative an opportunity for being heard within a period of 1 week from the date of submission of the application,” the interim order said.
The court added, “It is further clarified that, going by Section 110A, provisional release is a right of the petitioner under normal circumstances. In case his application is rejected, the same can only be done through a speaking order with reference to the documents produced and the contentions raised.”
Recently, Customs officials conducted raids at several locations across Kerala, including the homes of actors Dulquer Salmaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. During the operation, authorities seized more than 35 luxury vehicles suspected to have been imported from Bhutan through fraudulent channels.
Among the seized vehicles was Salmaan’s 2004 Land Rover Defender.
On September 25, Salmaan submitted a representation to the Customs Authority, providing all necessary documents in support of his case. However, his request for the vehicle’s release was rejected, leading him to approach the High Court for relief.
Meanwhile, on the professional front, Dulquer is gearing up for his upcoming Tamil–Telugu bilingual film ‘Kaantha’. A teaser for the project, centred on the strained relationship between a father and son, was unveiled on the actor’s 42nd birthday.
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