High Court objects to duty waiver on Sachin's Ferrari

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to Sachin Tendulkar for getting a duty waiver on a Ferrari that he was recently gifted by Fiat, the company he endorses. The Ferrari-360 Modeno was given to him last year when he hit his 29th century, and moved level with Don Bradman. Tendulkar had applied to the government for a waiver of the Rs. 1.6 crore (US$350,000) import duty due on the car, which is more than the actual cost of the car. The government had agreed, and the matter became an issue of national debate.

Justice Vikramjit Sen, the High Court Judge, noted that this act of "profligacy" occurred at a time when the union sports ministry had complained of financial difficulty. He has said that he was inspired by an RK Laxman cartoon that had appeared in The Times of India, in which an old man blesses a child by saying "may you become a super-player and may the finance minister exempt all your income from soft drinks, toilet soaps, toothpaste from tax". Sen said, "it reminded me of the adage that the greatest truths are spoken in jest".

Sen also issued notices to the union sports and finance ministries, asking them to appear before the court on August 19. He said that the matter warrants to be considered in the public interest jurisdiction of the court.