Overview

• On October 2, the Finance Ministry directed the Department of Revenue to run a fact-based inquiry, deputing a senior officer to hear all parties and examine documents.
• Wintrack said on October 1 it halted all import‑export activity in India after 45 days of harassment and alleged paying a ₹2.1 lakh bribe to clear a $6,993 shipment.
• CBIC and Chennai Customs denied any bribe demand, framing the dispute as misdeclaration and misclassification with missing EPR, LMPC and BIS compliance.
• Customs cited inspection findings including eight boxes of undeclared USB charging cables and said goods were reclassified from CTH 90191010 to 90191020 with the importer’s acceptance.
• Officials said due process was followed with hearings and Section 49 bonding to mitigate demurrage, as political and business figures such as Shashi Tharoor and Mohandas Pai weighed in.