Engineer Jailed Over ‘Amchur Powder’ Awarded ₹10 Lakh After 16-Year Court Battle

News Desk: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered ₹10 lakh compensation for a software engineer from Gwalior who spent 57 days in jail after airport authorities allegedly mistook amchur powder for a narcotic substance during a security check.

The incident occurred in 2010 when Ajay Singh arrived at Raja Bhoj Airport to board a flight to Delhi. During routine baggage screening, airport security systems flagged his luggage after detecting a suspicious powdery material.

Acting on the machine alert, security personnel allegedly suspected the substance to be a banned narcotic and took Singh into custody. He was subsequently booked under serious narcotics-related charges.

Forensic Test Revealed It Was Ordinary Amchur Powder

Ajay Singh remained behind bars for nearly two months before forensic examination confirmed that the seized material was merely amchur powder (garam masala and aamchur) — dried mango powder commonly used in Indian kitchens.

Following the forensic report, Singh was released from jail.

एयरपोर्ट की मशीन ने जिसे ‘हेरोइन’ बताया, वो निकला अमचूर, 57 दिन जेल में रहे इंजीनियर

◆ वकील सुमित रघुवंशी ने कहा, “सरकार की तरफ से उन्हें 10 लाख का मुआवजा दिया जाएगा”#SumitRaghuwanshi | Sumit Raghuwanshi | Garam Masala | #GaramMasala | Amchoor pic.twitter.com/HZIv9qqZ9f

— News24 (@news24tvchannel) May 22, 2026

16-Year Legal Fight Ends in Compensation

After securing his release, Singh approached the court, arguing that he had been wrongfully imprisoned due to a flawed investigation and excessive dependence on machine-generated alerts without proper verification.

After a prolonged legal battle lasting 16 years, the High Court ruled in his favour.

A single-judge bench observed that keeping an innocent citizen incarcerated for 57 days amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights. The court directed the Madhya Pradesh government and the concerned authorities to pay Singh ₹10 lakh as compensation.

Court Warns Against Blind Dependence on Machines

While delivering the verdict, the High Court also raised serious concerns over investigative procedures and the unchecked reliance on technology during security operations.

The bench observed that machines are not infallible and authorities cannot depend solely on automated alerts without conducting independent verification. The court further noted that technical or procedural lapses should never result in innocent individuals losing their liberty.