AMARAVATI, India, June 17 -- Andhra Pradesh High Court issued the following order on May 14:

1. This writ petition is filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India by the petitioner seeking the following relief:

"...to issue a Writ, Order or direction more particularly, in the nature of Writ of Certiorari to call for the Records of Exhibit P3 notice dated 26.04.2026 issued by the 2nd respondent and quash the same and consequently direct the 2nd respondent police not to seize the gold articles from the petitioner from any of the branches with regard to crime No.0028 of 2026 registered by 2nd respondent subject to the petitioner producing the articles sought under Annexure-C dated 26.04.2026 before the Investigating Officer for thepurpose of investigation for taking photographs and video-graphs of the said articles and thereafter, handover back to the petitioner and on condition that the petitioner will not convert, pledge, sell or dispose of the said articles till disposal of the Crime No.0028/2026 concerned and to pass such other order or orders..."

2. The brief case of the petitioner is that petitioner is a Non-Banking Financial Institution dealing with grant of loans to the customers on the security of gold ornaments pledged by them. That being so, the petitionercompany provided gold loans to the Accused in Crime No.28 of 2026 of Santhanuthalapadu Police Station, Prakasam District registered for the offences punishable under Sections 316(2), 318(4, 351(3) and Section 79 r/w 3(5) of BNS. The respondents/ accused in the said crime have allegedly stolen the gold ornaments and pledged some of them with the petitionerCompany. The accused confessed that the ornaments pledged by them with the petitioner-Company are the property that belongs to the de facto complainant in the above crime. On that, respondent No.2 issued a notice dated 26.04.2026 to the Branch Manager of the petitioner-Company to handover the pledged ornaments to the Police. Questioning the impugned notice, the present writ petition is filed.

3. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that the subject matter of this writ petition is squarely covered by the order, dated 19.02.2024 in Special Leave petition (Crl.) No.9539 of 2023 of the Hon'ble Apex Court and placed on record the said order and would submit that similar orders may be passed by disposing of this writ petition.

5. Learned Assistant Government Pleader would submit that the Court may pass appropriate orders.

6. Considering the submissions made, the Writ Petition is disposed of, setting aside the notice dated 26.04.2026, with the following observations.

(i) The petitioner shall produce the pledged ornaments as and when called by the Investigating Officer for inspection of the same and also permit taking photographs and making the Panchanama, if so required.

(ii) The petitioner shall produce the pledged ornaments before the concerned Court as and when directed by the concerned Court in relation to Crime No.28 of 2026 of Santhanuthalapadu Police Station, Prakasam District.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=I1mmm2bl4r4EREhYK63Kv%2BCxvzq2SUWJiIVHzQZF1jP9Z8npzycmsePGXKGJK6%2BP&caseno=WP/14223/2026&cCode=1&cino=APHC010272022026&state_code=2&appFlag=)

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