Karnataka High Court
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The High Court has dismissed two habeas corpus petitions challenging the detention of two accused under Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) in the gold-smuggling case involving actress Ranya Rao.
The petitions were filed by relatives of accused Konduru Tarun Raju, Sahil Sakariya Jain.
Incidentally, the court had rejected the habeas corpus petition filed by H P Rohini, Ranya's mother, challenging her daughter’s detention under COFEPOSA. Ranya was arrested on Mar 3, 2025, for smuggling 14.2 kg gold into Kempegowda airport.
On her voluntary statement, Raju and Jain were arrested for assisting Ranya in disposing of smuggled gold and in facilitating Hawala transfers to Dubai. On April 22, the preventive detention order was passed against them by invoking COFEPOSA.
The petitions were filed by Rama Raju, a relative of Tarun Raju, and Priyanka Sakariya, cousin of Sahil Jain.
They questioned the detention citing procedural deficiencies. The petitioners argued that there is no evidence to show their involvement in the airport seizure or in any other transaction.
However, a division bench of Justices Anu Sivaraman & Vijayakumar A Patil said there is specific finding about their involvement.
The bench said the detention order specifically discusses role of each of the detenues. It said the procedural safeguards had been followed and the order of detention and subjective satisfaction had been arrived at by detaining authority after considering all aspects.