Jose Ramirez Barreto

Mohun Bagan striker Jose Ramirez Barreto on Monday filed a contempt petition in the high court against Calcutta Customs commissioner Goutam Roy for not returning his passport despite a directive from the Barasat additional chief judicial magistrate’s court.

Roy allegedly declined to return Barreto’s passport when the footballer, armed with the court order, approached him. The footballer’s passport was seized when he was detained at the airport with more foreign currency than is permitted. He was to board a flight to Brazil that day.

Lawyers representing the customs department said they would move the Supreme Court against the order to return Barreto’s passport.

The additional chief judicial magistrate had based his order on a high court directive to ask Calcutta Customs to return Barreto’s passport against two security bonds of Rs 10,000 each and a Rs 15-lakh bank guarantee. Another condition was that the footballer, in the event of leaving the country, would have to return in six weeks and deposit his passport with the customs department within 48 hours.

Moving the contempt petition, Barreto’s counsel Jaymalya Bagchi told the high court that his client had submitted the requisite security bonds and bank guarantee in the Barasat court and that the magistrate immediately issued the order to hand back his passport.

“But the commissioner of Calcutta Customs told my client that he would not return the passport. The commissioner has thus committed contempt of court and the court should take appropriate action against him,” Bagchi said.

Justice Asim Roy will take up the case on Tuesday.