New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was penalised by the customs department at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi and had to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 for allegedly carrying undeclared luxury items. The incident occurred while the Chief Minister and his wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, were returning from a private trip to Paris, France.
According to customs department sources, the Chief Minister and his staff were exiting through the Green Channel—a route strictly meant for passengers carrying goods within the permissible duty-free limits. However, they were intercepted by customs officials. Upon inspection, authorities discovered undeclared luxury goods purchased in Paris, including expensive clothes, shoes, belts, and jewellery.
Since the total value of the items exceeded the permissible duty-free allowance and the goods were not declared in advance, customs officials issued a challan of Rs 50,000 for violating the baggage rules. The Chief Minister was allowed to leave the airport premises only after clearing the penalty amount. Reacting to the development, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that the customs action was politically motivated.
The incident has brought the newly updated Customs Baggage Rules 2026 into the spotlight, which came into effect on February 2, 2026. Under the revised framework, the duty-free allowance for Indian citizens returning from abroad has been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000.
As per the regulations, if a passenger is carrying goods worth more than Rs 75,000, they are required to walk through the Red Channel and declare the items. A customs duty of approximately 38.5 per cent is levied on the amount exceeding the duty-free limit. However, attempting to pass through the Green Channel with undeclared expensive items is considered a severe violation. In such cases of misdeclaration, passengers are liable to pay the applicable tax along with a penalty that can go up to 100 per cent of the tax evaded.
To streamline the process and avoid sudden penalties, the customs department advises international travellers to digitally declare their luggage up to three days before arrival using the government’s Atithi app or the ICEGATE portal.