Legal Digest | Port trust to pay customs duty on goods pilfered while in its custody

The judgment is significant as it imposes a dual liability on the Port Trust: it must compensate the importer for the loss caused by pilferage attributable to its failure of custody, while also paying customs duty to the exchequer on the pilfered goods, notes Chartered Accountant S Murlidharan, referring to a recent Supreme Court order in a Port Trust vs Customs Commissioner case.