Gujarat HC orders release of SW South Wind I after pact with exporting firm

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The Gujarat High Court on Friday ordered the release of merchant vessel SW South Wind I following a settlement between the vessel’s sub-charterer and MEIR Commodities India Limited.

Justice Aniruddha P Mayee passed an oral order after the sub-charterer of the vessel agreed to pay MEIR Commodities claim of $250,984 in the settlement reached outside the court.

MEIR Commodities has given an undertaking to withdraw the case after receiving the settlement, the judge said, ordering the release of the vessel by the authorities of Deen Dayal (Kandla) port.  

Irregularities in shipments

Two more arrest orders are pending against the vessel following petitions filed by Farmart Services Private Ltd and Farm Fresh International. 

MEIR Commodities moved the Gujarat High Court as its consignments of about 460 tonnes of parboiled rice got held up after the vessel was detained by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials, who suspected that white rice was being exported as organic rice. 

The DRI action followed a businessline report on irregularities in the export of organic rice as some exporters were allegedly shipping out white rice in the garb of organic rice. Besides SW South Wind I, they detained another ship MV Della. (This ship set sail on October 19 after Customs authorities freed it.)

 The suspicion of irregularities arose after organic rice exports in the first four months of the fiscal exceeded the total shipments in the entire 2023-34 fiscal.