The Karnataka High Court has recorded an assurance from Additional Solicitor General Arvind Kamath that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, will furnish Kannada actress Harshavardhini alias Ranya Rao with the CCTV footage preserved in connection with the gold smuggling case against her.
Justice Suraj Govindaraj was hearing a petition filed by Rao alleging non-compliance with the High Court’s earlier direction concerning the preservation and furnishing of CCTV footage recorded at the airport on the night of March 3, 2025 and the early hours of March 4, 2025.
Dispute Over Non-Furnishing of Complete CCTV Footage
The controversy before the High Court arose from Rao’s allegation that the CISF had not complied fully with the Court’s July 14 order directing preservation and furnishing of the relevant CCTV footage.
Appearing for Rao, advocate Mahesh YL submitted that the petitioner had appeared before the CISF Commandant on July 15 and collected the footage made available to her. However, according to the petitioner, the material supplied covered only the period between 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM on March 3, 2025.
Rao’s counsel contended that this was substantially narrower than the period covered by the Court’s direction. The petitioner had sought CCTV footage extending from 4:30 PM on March 3, 2025, until 6:00 AM on March 4, 2025.
The footage is considered significant because it is expected to capture Rao’s movements at various stages of her arrival at Kempegowda International Airport, including her movement from the aircraft and subsequent interactions with airport and customs authorities.
High Court Questions Absence of Contempt Proceedings
During the hearing, the Court initially questioned why Rao had not initiated contempt proceedings if she believed that the earlier judicial direction had not been complied with.
The issue, however, was subsequently clarified by ASG Arvind Kamath, who appeared for the authorities.
The ASG submitted that there appeared to have been a misunderstanding by the CISF officials regarding the scope of the footage that was required to be furnished pursuant to the High Court’s order.
According to Kamath, the officials had apparently proceeded on the understanding that only footage falling within the period specifically referred to in the Court’s order could be supplied. He clarified that the footage which had been preserved pursuant to the judicial direction remained available and could be copied and furnished to Rao.
ASG Assures Court: “Whatever We Have Preserved, We’ll Hand Over”
During the hearing, Kamath made it clear that the preserved footage would be supplied to the petitioner.
He explained that the original CCTV footage had already been erased in the ordinary course, but the footage specifically preserved following the Court’s direction was still available with the authorities.
The ASG indicated that there were multiple video files and that while some footage had already been handed over, the remaining preserved material could also be copied and furnished.
The assurance was significant as Rao’s grievance was not that no footage had been supplied, but that the material supplied to her did not cover the entire period sought by her.
The clarification before the Court therefore appeared to resolve the immediate dispute regarding the extent of the preserved material available with the CISF.
Footage Covers Crucial Stages of Airport Proceedings
The CCTV footage sought by Rao relates to a critical sequence of events on March 3 and 4, 2025.
The requested recordings are understood to cover her movements after she disembarked from Emirates flight EK-566, including her passage through the aerobridge and immigration areas, movement through the duty-free and baggage sections, customs clearance and the subsequent search and seizure proceedings.
The footage is also expected to cover the preparation of the mahazar and Rao’s eventual exit from the airport.
The petitioner has sought the recordings in the context of the criminal and preventive detention proceedings arising from the alleged recovery of gold from her possession.
Background of the Gold Smuggling Case
Ranya Rao was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on March 3, 2025, following her interception at Kempegowda International Airport after allegedly arriving from Dubai.
The DRI alleged that she was carrying approximately 14.2 kilograms of gold, valued at around ₹12.56 crore.
The alleged recovery led to the initiation of proceedings under the applicable customs and anti-smuggling laws. The circumstances surrounding her arrival, interception, search and seizure at the airport subsequently became central to the proceedings against her.
The CCTV recordings from the airport are therefore potentially relevant to establishing the sequence of events and the movements of the petitioner during the period in question.
Default Bail Granted After Delay in Chargesheet
Rao was subsequently granted default bail after the DRI failed to file its chargesheet within the statutory period.
However, her release from custody did not immediately follow because she was also detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA).
The preventive detention proceedings consequently operated separately from the criminal prosecution arising out of the alleged gold seizure.
Rao completed one year of preventive detention in April 2026 and was thereafter released from Bengaluru’s Central Prison.
Despite her release, proceedings relating to the alleged gold smuggling incident continue, involving Rao and other accused persons.
CCTV Footage Dispute Assumes Importance
The latest proceedings before the Karnataka High Court underline the importance of the CCTV recordings in the petitioner’s challenge concerning the airport events.
The petitioner’s contention is essentially that the footage should be furnished in accordance with the Court’s earlier direction and that supplying only a portion of the preserved material does not satisfy that direction.
The authorities, through the ASG, have now clarified that the limited supply appears to have resulted from an understanding on the part of CISF officials regarding the scope of the earlier order, rather than an inability to furnish the preserved recordings.
The assurance that the preserved footage would be handed over addresses the immediate grievance raised by Rao concerning the incomplete supply.
Court Records Government’s Assurance
The High Court recorded the submission of ASG Arvind Kamath that whatever footage had been preserved pursuant to the Court’s earlier order would be furnished to Rao.
The development is significant because the CCTV footage may provide contemporaneous visual evidence concerning the sequence of events at the airport, including the petitioner’s movement through different airport zones and the events surrounding the alleged interception and seizure.
The petition thus brings into focus the importance of compliance with judicial directions concerning preservation and disclosure of electronic evidence, particularly where such recordings may have a bearing on ongoing criminal and preventive detention proceedings.
The proceedings before the Karnataka High Court continue in the backdrop of the larger gold smuggling case, with the petitioner seeking access to the complete preserved CCTV material relevant to the events of March 3-4, 2025.
