Kerala High Court Seeks Customs Dept Response On Dulquer Salman's Plea Challenging Seizure Of Car

The Kerala High Court on Friday (September 26) sought the response of the Customs Department on a petition filed by actor-producer Dulquer Salman challenging the seizure of his Land Rover Defender by Customs officials as part of Operation Numkhor.

He has contended that the Customs action was "arbitrary, illegal, and based on mere suspicion". A bench of Justice Ziyad Rahman posted the matter to next Tuesday for the response of the department. Senior Advocate A Kumar appeared for the petitioner.

According to the department, the vehicle was illegally imported from Bhutan.

In his writ petition, the actor said that he was the registered owner and in possession of the vehicle, which he purchased in good faith from Aarpee Promoters Pvt. Ltd. nearly five years ago. He states that all payments were made through bank transactions, and the vehicle had been in his lawful use without incident.

According to documents filed, the original importer was the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), New Delhi, as reflected in the bill of entry and invoice from Land Rover and Ford. The petitioner claims he was furnished with all relevant documents, including customs clearances, invoices, declarations, and delivery notes, at the time of purchase.

Despite these records, Customs officials seized the vehicle on September 23, 2025, without providing proper acknowledgment for the documents shown by his representatives. A seizure memo was issued the same day, which has been challenged in the writ petition.

The petitioner argues that the seizure was carried out without reasonable belief or enquiry and is therefore illegal and prima facie ownership and lawful possession are established by the documents produced.

It is further submitted that officials failed to even consider or acknowledge the material presented, reflecting a “predetermined approach.” It was also submitted that his reputation has been unfairly damaged, as media reports linked the seizure to alleged smuggling and anti-state activities.

He further submits that prolonged custody of the vehicle by authorities would cause irreparable loss, as seized vehicles rapidly depreciate and deteriorate without proper maintenance. The petitioner describes the Land Rover Defender as a collector's piece, maintained with great care.

The writ petition is filed seeking to quash the seizure memo and to direct the customs to release the vehicle either on upradari (custodial release) or any other terms the Court deems fit.

When the matter came up for admission, the Court has directed Customs to get instructions and is posted on Tuesday.

Case Title: Dulquer Salman v Commissioner and Others

Case No: WP(C) 35869/ 2025

Counsel for Petitioner: A Kumar (Sr.), G Mini, P Fazil, Saju Thaliath, V V Jayasree, Jithin Paul Varghese, C Prabhitha, Fadil Fazil, Aswathy Jayachandran, Akshaya Thomas