Bombay high court(File photo)
MUMBAI: In a relief for a cancer survivor, the Bombay high court on Thursday directed the customs authorities within 24 hours to hand over boxes of formula feed imported from the US.
The direction by a bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Nitin Borkar, via videoconference, came on a petition by Vadodara based Samir Patel. He was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2016 and his intake of food/ nutrients is only possible through a feeding tube. The formula feed is required to be imported from the US since it is not available in India and neither are its alternatives.
Patel’s petition said he imported four boxes of “Osmolite Nutrio N-Food for Tube Feeding Patient” from US through a courier agency DHL Express (India) Pvt. Ltd. But the assistant commissioner of customs, Air Cargo Complex at the Sahar airport refused to provide inward clearance to the courier agency and withheld the packets on ground which are unclear to him.
The judges summoned additional solicitor general Anil Singh who assured he will look into the matter. At 3 pm, Singh said the commissioner, air cargo commissionerate, shall process the documents subject to DHL filing a bill of entry and Patel filing form 7 – an undertaking that the consignment will be used only for personal consumption.
The judges then directed DHL to file a bill of entry and Patel’s lawyers – senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond alongwith advocate Bulbul Singh Rajpurohit – to submit form 7. Thereafter the commissioner shall process the documents received and ensure that the parcel is handed over to them within 24 hours, they added. The matter is posted on June 22 for compliance.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/bombay-hc-directs-customs-to-handover-formula-feed-to-cancer-survivor/articleshow/76447860.cms
