₹1.8 lakh fine in 120 days for Rolex: Delhi Customs seizes watch, HC lets flyer reclaim it

The Customs department seized a Dubai resident's Rolex watch as soon as he landed at the Delhi airport after he was intercepted by Indian Customs officers. After this, he was issued a detention receipt and an Order-in-Original was passed in the matter, The Economic Times reported. 

This order, dated January 30, 2025, permitted the passenger to reclaim his Rolex watch. The watch was seized because the Customs department ascertained that he used the wrong channel for importing goods as part of the passenger baggage, in violation of the relevant provisions. 

Thus, the department concluded that the seized Rolex watch is clearly in commercial quantity and can't be for personal use. The Customs department, however, said that he was permitted to redeem the detained watch by paying a fine of ₹1.8 lakh within 120 days of receiving the order. 

The Dubai resident filed an appeal against this order in the Delhi High Court in September this year and partially won the case. 

The High Court recently ruled that a single Rolex watch seized from a passenger cannot be considered a 'commercial quantity'. It also allowed the flyer to reclaim the detained item after paying the fine. 

The court was hearing his plea challenging an order passed by the office of the Commissioner of Customs at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, regarding the detention and proposed confiscation of a watch belonging to a Dubai resident. 

The High Court said that while the order correctly allowed redemption of the detained watch, it was wrong in concluding that a single Rolex watch was a commercial quantity. The court directed the petitioner to pay the redemption fine by October 31 and redeem the detained watch in accordance with the original order. 

"Clearly, this Court is of the view that one Rolex watch cannot be held to be a commercial quantity, and there is no reason why the same cannot be kept for personal use. However, considering the fact that the option of redemption was given to the petitioner, the petitioner (Mahesh) shall now pay the redemption fine by October 31, 2025, and redeem the detained article in accordance with the impugned order," the High Court said.