Court Clears Controversial Art: Souza and Padamsee Works Released

The Bombay High Court has ordered the release of artworks by F N Souza and Akbar Padamsee, previously seized by the Customs department for obscenity. The court ruled Customs officials lacked the expertise to judge art, citing the confiscation as arbitrary and infringing on fundamental rights.

The Bombay High Court ruled on Friday that artworks by renowned artists F N Souza and Akbar Padamsee, seized by the Customs department last year, must be released. The division bench criticized Customs officials for conflating art with obscenity due to their lack of expertise in the field.

Resulting from a petition filed by B K Polimex India Pvt Ltd, owned by businessman Mustafa Karachiwala, the court quashed a previous order to confiscate the works. The court ordered that the artworks be released to the petitioner within two weeks.

The artworks, including Souza's 'Lovers' series and pieces by Padamsee, were acquired in London auctions. The court deemed the seizure an illegal violation of fundamental rights, and the unjust fine against Karachiwala's firm was also contested.

(With inputs from agencies.)