Gold smuggling case: No bail to Ranya Rao for one year, COFEPOSA upheld

Bengaluru, July 17 (IANS) The Advisory Board under the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has upheld the invocation of the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act against jailed Kannada actress Ranya Rao.

The board on Thursday also issued directions not to allow the filing of a bail petition by jailed actress Ranya Rao for one year from the date of her arrest as per the provisions of the COFEPOSA Act.

The Advisory Board directed the DRI that no bail application should be filed on behalf of Ranya. Following this directive, the DRI conveyed the information to the jail authorities.

Earlier, Ranya Rao was granted bail by a special court. However, since the case was registered under a special law, she was not released.

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), a nodal agency under the Ministry of Finance, invoked the COFEPOSA Act against the actress and other accused in the gold smuggling case, based on a recommendation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which is investigating the gold smuggling case.

As per the provisions of the COFEPOSA Act, she will have to remain in custody for up to one year.

On May 20, the Special Court for Economic Offences granted conditional bail to Ranya Rao. The court also granted bail to the second accused, Tarun Raju.

She had hoped to secure bail and, after her mother had challenged the invocation of the COFEPOSA Act in court.

The accused had sought bail on the grounds that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had failed to submit the charge sheet within 60 days. Taking this into consideration, the court had granted bail.

Taking cognisance of the development, the Advisory Board, the statutory body within the DRI, looked into the matter and upheld the invoking of the Special Act against Ranya Rao.

Ranya Rao was arrested on March 3 in connection with a gold smuggling case and has been in jail for the past four months.

--IANS

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