New Delhi: The Supreme Court has emphasized the urgent need for jurisdictional agencies at international airports to properly educate their officers on prevailing laws before detaining or arresting travelers. The observation came while quashing the arrest and criminal proceedings against NRI Rocky Abraham, an Indian citizen settled in Italy for over two decades.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made the remarks after finding that Abraham’s January 2025 arrest at Delhi airport for allegedly carrying a deer horn under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, was unlawful. DNA analysis later confirmed the seized item was a reindeer horn, which is not prohibited under Indian wildlife laws.
Abraham had spent nearly two weeks in custody and was later released on bail under strict conditions, including a ban on leaving India. The apex court criticized the arrest, noting that such actions damage India’s reputation internationally and violate human rights principles.
“This court feels an imminent need to require jurisdictional agencies handling affairs at international airports to sensitise their officers in the prevailing laws before taking the drastic step of detention and arrest of an international traveller,” the bench stated.
The court added that any such measures “must not be taken in haste” and should be preceded by appropriate legal consultation and a pragmatic approach.
Declaring the arrest, FIR, and related proceedings “unlawful,” the Supreme Court ordered them quashed. It also granted Abraham the liberty to seek damages from the concerned authorities.
