The Bombay High Court has granted permission to Ami Kotecha, a U.S. citizen and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) holder, currently on bail in a ₹5 crore gold smuggling case, to travel to the United States for medical treatment. Justice Milind Jadhav ruled that the prosecution cannot compel her to undergo treatment in India, dismissing the argument that adequate medical facilities are available domestically as “preposterous” .

Kotecha was arrested on February 21 after being found with over 5 kilograms of undeclared gold bars at Mumbai International Airport. She spent 28 days in custody before being released on bail, which included a condition to surrender her passport for six months. Seeking to attend her daughter’s graduation and continue medical treatment in the U.S., she approached the High Court after a magistrate denied her request to travel.

The court has now removed the bail condition requiring her to surrender her passport, allowing her to travel abroad. However, she must provide her travel itinerary in advance to the prosecution and commit to cooperating with the ongoing investigation. Any breach of these conditions could lead to the revocation of this permission .

Sources