Dulquer Salmaan gets temporary relief from Kerala High Court in luxury car seizure – Report |
The Kerala High Court has ordered the state Customs Department to settle the issue of Dulquer Salman’s confiscated 2004 Land Rover Defender. As per the reports, the actor had appealed to the court for the same, and it has directed the unit to decide on it within a week of receiving his application. According to the Cinema Express report, Justice Ziyad Rahman AA issued a temporary order in favor of the actor, who is fighting to get his car back. The Customs department confiscated the vehicle during a major operation targeting luxury cars allegedly smuggled into the country from Bhutan.The court made it clear that the actor has the right to demand his car back temporarily under the Customs Act (Section 110A). Crucially, if the department rejects the same, they have to explain why in a detailed, reasoned rejection.The order read, “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.”The Justice also questioned the department’s decision to confiscate the vehicle without giving any reasons. The court stated, “So you can say ‘reasonable belief’ and seize anything? You are depriving a person of his property.” As per the court, the department failed to submit the documents clarifying on which basis the car was seized.The Justice also stated that the Customs department should consider that the vehicle is registered and has been used for almost two decades while deciding Dulquer’s appeal.According to the report, since the vehicle had been publicly used for years, the judge asked if holding onto it was truly necessary for the investigation.Dulquer’s legal team, led by senior counsel A Kumar, argued that seizing the car was random and unfair, completely ignoring the valid papers showing he bought it legally and paid all the required duties.Reportedly, his team also stated that keeping the car locked up for a long time would ruin it without actually helping the public or the investigation in any way.
