Karnataka HC rejects habeas corpus pleas in Ranya Rao gold smuggling case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed two habeas corpus petitions challenging the detention of accused persons in the gold smuggling case linked to actress Ranya Rao.
According to the report published by Deccan Herald on Tuesday, the petitions were filed by relatives of Konduru Tarun Raju and Sahil Sakariya Jain, who were detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA). The court refused to interfere with the preventive detention orders passed against them.
Incidentally, the court had rejected the habeas corpus petition filed by H P Rohini, Ranya's mother, challenging her daughter’s detention under COFEPOSA. Ranya was arrested on Mar 3, 2025, for smuggling 14.2 kg gold into Kempegowda airport.
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Based on Ranya Rao’s voluntary statement, investigators arrested Tarun Raju and Sahil Jain for allegedly helping her dispose of the smuggled gold and facilitating hawala money transfers to Dubai. Preventive detention orders were issued against them on April 22 under COFEPOSA.
As per the report, the petitions were filed by Rama Raju, a relative of Tarun Raju, and Priyanka Sakariya, cousin of Sahil Jain. They questioned the detention citing procedural deficiencies. The petitioners argued that there is no evidence to show their involvement in the airport seizure or in any other transaction.
However, a division bench comprising Justices Anu Sivaraman and Vijayakumar A. Patil rejected these arguments. The court observed that the detention orders clearly explained the role of each accused and that all procedural safeguards had been followed.
The bench reportedly said the detaining authority had arrived at its decision after carefully examining all relevant materials and upheld the validity of the preventive detention orders.
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Chhatrasal Stadium murder case: Delhi HC seeks police's stand on wrestler Sushil Kumar's bail plea
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the stand of Delhi Police on a bail plea by Olympian Sushil Kumar in the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar.
Justice Anup J Bhambhani issued notice to Delhi Police and the kin of the deceased, and asked them to file a status report and a reply, respectively.
Noting that the Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Kumar by the high court in August last year, the judge remarked, "I think you are being ambitious."
"Once the Supreme Court has taken a view, what do you expect from me?" the court asked.
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The counsel for the accused said the bail plea should be considered since all public witnesses have been examined in the trial.
The counsel for Delhi Police and the deceased's kin, however, said all public witnesses were yet to be examined.
"Let a status report/detailed reply be filed before the next date of hearing. Renotify on May 4," the court said.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021 and a sessions court granted him a week's interim bail for his knee surgery on July 19, 2023.
On August 13, 2025, the Supreme Court cancelled Kumar's bail, setting aside a March 4 high court order and noting that his "domineering influence" over witnesses or delaying the trial proceedings could not be ruled out.
On February 6 this year, a trial court refused to grant bail to Kumar, saying the possibility that the accused might influence witnesses "cannot be ruled out".
The trial court, in October 2022, framed charges against Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections dealing with murder, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and rioting with a deadly weapon. Charges were also framed under the provisions of the Arms Act.
The trial court had noted that after being abducted and brought to the Chhatrasal Stadium, Dhankar was severely assaulted by several accused persons with baseball and hockey sticks.
