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Ulugbek Zokirov vs. Commissioner of Customs and connected matters

Writ Petition (Civil) · 2026:DHC:7367-DBDecided 2 Sept 2026New Delhi Bench
W.P.(C) 666/2026, W.P.(C) 2255/2026CNR: DLHC010012042026
Justice Anil Kshetarpal · Justice Shail Jain

Background

Ulugbek Zokirov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, had his gold jewellery (230 grams) detained after being intercepted crossing the Green Channel. He disputed the Customs statement attributed to him, saying he understood only Uzbek, that no translator was used, that there was an altercation over the duty payable, and that he was made to sign pre-prepared and even blank papers.

Decision Breakdown

The Court held that whether the petitioner genuinely understood and voluntarily signed the statement recording his alleged waiver of a Show Cause Notice was a disputed factual question requiring examination of the original records and any available CCTV footage, something a writ court is not well suited to resolve. It dismissed the petition but directed Customs to give him a proper personal hearing and complete the adjudication within six weeks, clarifying that a mere printed waiver cannot, by itself, satisfy the law's notice requirements.

Lesson Learnt

A foreign traveller's claim that they signed customs paperwork without language assistance or proper translation is a serious concern that the department itself must examine carefully, rather than simply relying on a signed form.

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