Bengaluru: The high court on Tuesday passed an interim order directing the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) not to arrest Jatin Vijayakumar Hukkeri, husband of Kannada actor Ranya Rao who has been arrested in a gold smuggling case, without following the due process of law.
Justice Hemant Chandanagoudar passed this order after hearing senior advocate Prabhuling Navadgi, who appeared for Jatin, an architect and founder of Bengaluru-based WDA Spaces.
The court was told that the petitioner had no connection with the allegation made against his wife and he cooperated with the investigation on March 4 and March 9, though he was taken away for questioning without prior notice or summons. According to him, the DRI officials, who interrogated him for hours, harassed, physically assaulted, and coerced him to make statements to suit their case.
He prayed the court to issue a direction to the DRI to adhere to the due process of law before initiating any coercive action against him concerning the offences punishable under the Customs Act or BNS.