Court grants bail to Sheetal Mafatlal

Businesswoman and socialite Sheetal Mafatlal was today granted bail on certain conditions by a Mumbai local court in a case of alleged evasion of duty on jewellery worth Rs 53 lakhs carried by her on return from London.

Sheetal Mafatlal, arrested by the Air Intelligence Unit of customs at Mumbai airport for ‘false declaration and smuggling’ of gold ornaments worth Rs 53 lakh, was granted bail by the metropolitan magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

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Legal eagles, however, said that customs officials should have given Mafatlal bail there since as per Customs Act, amended in 2007, the offence only becomes non-bailable if the goods seized is worth more than Rs 1 crore and the duty exceeds Rs 30 lakh.

“In a bailable offence how can person be in custody even for a minute? I feel the magistrate was misled by the customs officials”, said advocate Sujay Kantawalla, who specialises in customs cases.