The Hindu Business Line : Sheetal Mafatlal granted bail

Mumbai, June 9 NRI entrepreneur Ms Sheetal Mafatlal was granted bail on Tuesday by the court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in the case relating to customs duty evasion. She has been asked to deposit Rs 5 lakh as surety and to report to the Air Intelligence Unit twice a week.

Ms Mafatlal, who is married to industrialist Mr Atulya Mafatlal of the Mafatlal group, was detained at Mumbai airport on Saturday for alleged duty evasion of high value items. On Monday, she was lodged in the Byculla jail after being charged with smuggling of gold jewellery and allegedly making false declaration of value of goods so as to evade customs duty (on jewellery worth) about Rs 51 lakh.

Eminent criminal lawyer Mr Satish Maneshinde, appearing before the court on behalf of Ms Mafatlal, said that he was paying Rs 18 lakh, slapped by the Customs Department as duty evasion, under protest. He said that the matter would be open to further adjudication.

On Tuesday, Mr Maneshinde argued before the court that two houses belonging to Ms Mafatlal were raided by the Customs Department but no valuable objects or incriminating evidence were found. She has no other house in India and her London house was beyond the purview of the department. There was no need for her to be further detained in jail for the investigations to be carried out.

Mr Maneshinde added that Ms Mafatlal was not a diamond trader and the possession of jewellery she had been ‘allegedly charged with’ was fashion jewellery. As she had business interests in India and roots in Mumbai, there was no reason for her to abscond or tamper with the evidence, he argued.

Objecting to the bail application, Public Prosecutor Mr Arun Gupte said that the Customs Department needed Ms Mafatlal’s custody as the investigations were at a crucial juncture. In the ‘punchanama’ of her jewellery, there were 50 to 60 items.

“Can a person carry so much jewellery?” he asked, adding that the department could seek help of the Indian Consulate in the UK establishing the value of the jewellery.

More Stories on : Economic Offences | Gems & Jewellery | Courts/Legal Issues

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