IN THE HIGH COURT AT CALCUTTA

CONSTITUTIONAL WRIT JURISDICTION

ORIGINAL SIDE

BEFORE:

HON’BLE JUSTICE RAJA BASU CHOWDHURY

WPO/373/2025

BISWAJIT ROY BIR

VS

UNION OF INDIA & ORS.

For the petitioner : Mr. Saurabh Bagaria, Adv.

Ms. Arijita Ghosh, Adv. Ms. Samrita Das, Adv.

For the respondents : Mr. Kaushik Dey, Adv.

Mr. Tapan Bhanja, Adv.

Heard on : 07.08.2025

Judgment on : 7th August, 2025

RAJA BASU CHOWDHURY, J (ORAL):

1. The petitioner seeks to challenge the seizure notice dated 5th October, 2025

whereby the consignment of betel nuts which the customs department claimed to be of foreign origin had been seized. The petitioner's case proceeds on the premise that the petitioner is engaged in the business of Trading of betel/areca nuts, procured from farmers and registered suppliers. The same is run under the name and style of Biswajit Traders. The petitioner has requisite licence for running such business. In usual course, the petitioner received orders for supply of 17,780 kilograms of betel/areca nuts from one M/s. Poddar Agro, a firm

carrying on business at New Delhi.

2. Consequent thereupon, the petitioner with the object of supplying the

betel/areca nuts had loaded the same from a godown under the sup