Hari Prasad Chhapolia vs Union Of India (Uoi)

The Supreme Court addressed the appeal of Hari Prasad Chhopolia, who was convicted under Sections 135(b)(1) of the Customs Act, 1962 and Section 85 of the Gold (Control) Act, 1968. The Court noted that the High Court had set aside the conviction under the Customs Act but upheld the conviction under the Gold Act. The Court ultimately ruled that the appeal abated due to the appellant's death and emphasized that the application for substitution of legal heirs was filed after an unreasonable delay, thus denying the request for condonation of delay under Section 394 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.