Calcutta High Court rules in favour of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife in Customs Office case

New Delhi: The Calcutta High Court’s division bench ruled in favour of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Narula in Kolkata Customs Office case.

Abhishek Banerjee is a nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The court had on Thursday ordered Naroola to present herself before the Customs authority on April 8 as per its summons. However, the division bench today said that she will not have to appear before Customs till July 31. The next hearing in the case has been fixed for June 20. 

The division bench, led by Justice IP Mukherjee, questioned the Customs over "why it took so long to register a complaint against Rujira Narula when the incident took place on March 16?" The complaint was registered only after seven days

"Narula will not appear before the Customs till July 31," the Bench added.

The court passed the order after hearing a writ petition Narula in the Calcutta High Court challenging the summon issued by the Customs Office.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had stated that the Customs Office cannot take any coercive step against her.

Narula had an argument with the Customs authorities on the intervening night of March 15-16 at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport on her return from Thailand for allegedly carrying gold without declaration and was let off after the police intervention.

Earlier, Abhishek had refuted the allegations of his wife being detained at the airport. 

He had said, "False allegations are being made against my wife of her being detained, receiving special assistance and moving out of the airport with 2 kg gold. These are all baseless and defamatory."

(With inputs from agencies)