Today, On 19th December, The Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition challenging the COFEPOSA detention of Kannada actress Ranya Rao in connection with a gold smuggling case reported in March this year.
Ranya Rao’s mother has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Karnataka High Court, questioning her daughter’s continued detention despite being granted bail in a gold smuggling case. Ranya remains in custody due to a preventive detention under Cofeposa, related to smuggling activities. A hearing is set for June 18.
Ranya Rao, the stepdaughter of Karnataka’s DGP, was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.2 kg of gold at Bengaluru airport. A detention order under COFEPOSA was issued, allowing extended custody. Alongside Telugu actor Tarun Raju, both remain in judicial custody as the case receives significant attention from the courts.
Today, On 10th March, Actress Ranya Rao broke down in a Bengaluru special court, stating that she faced verbal abuse, not physical torture, while in custody. The court had inquired whether she was subjected to physical harm during detention. Rao expressed deep trauma from the experience. Her statement has sparked discussions on custodial treatment and mental harassment.
The Delhi High Court has nullified a summons to Pawan Kant Munjal, Chairman of Hero Motocorp, in a foreign currency case brought by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. Munjal appealed the trial court’s order and was exonerated by the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal. The summons was deemed redundant, providing legal relief to Munjal.
The Supreme Court has permitted the NIA to transfer a heroin smuggling case from Hoshiarpur to a special NIA court in Ahmedabad linked to the Mundra port drug haul. The NIA argued that consolidating the cases would streamline the trial process. This decision comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs transferred the probe to the NIA.
