'Woman's gold thaali should be returned immediately'; High Court strongly criticises customs action in airport

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court strongly criticised the customs for seizing a young woman's gold thaali necklace (mangalsutra). The customs seized the gold chain, including the gold thaali (talisman), from the young woman who was a Sri Lankan national. The Madras High Court has ordered that it is natural for married women, especially newlyweds, to wear heavy talismans it is also a religious custom, and that the thaali should be returned immediately. The court has also ordered an investigation against the officer who seized the thaali for indecent behaviour.

The incident in question took place on December 30, 2023. Tanushika, a Sri Lankan national, arrived in Chennai after her wedding with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. The young woman was detained by customs officials at the Chennai airport for about 12 hours. The customs seized 288 grams of gold, including a thali weighing 11 pounds, from the woman. The woman approached the court against this.

The court rejected the customs argument that it was trying to prevent smuggling through the Green Channel. The officials told the court that the Customs Act of 1962 stated that foreign nationals cannot carry large quantities of gold without submitting an affidavit. This argument was rejected by a single bench of Justice Krishna Ramaswamy. The court explained that married women usually wear heavy gold ornaments as per cultural norms and that the officials should respect the customs of all religions while conducting the inspection.