Drugs case: Bombay High Court grants bail to actress Rhea Chakraborty

Meanwhile, the court rejected the bail plea of her brother Showik Chakraborty.
Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty (Photo | PTI)
Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty (Photo | PTI)

Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to actress Rhea Chakraborty who was arrested in drugs case related to Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the bail plea of her brother Showik Chakraborty and alleged drug dealer Abdul Bashit Parihar.

A bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal also granted bail to Rajput's aide Samuel Miranda and personal assistant Dipesh Sawant.

The HC, while granting bail to Rhea Chakraborty and two others, directed them to deposit their passports with the NCB and not to leave the country without permission of the special NDPS court.

The HC also directed Rhea to visit the nearest police station for the first 10 days after she gets out of jail.

It directed her not to leave Mumbai without the NCB's permission and to not tamper with evidence while out on bail.

Earlier, A Mumbai court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of actress Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik Chakraborty till October 20.

Chakraborty was arrested on September 8 by the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB). 

She has been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for her alleged role in the drugs angle that has emerged during an investigation into the June 14 death of Sushant.

As per the remand copy of NCB, Rhea procured drugs for consumption. It was also stated that Rhea Chakraborty was also involved in financial dealings. The remand application also reads that Rhea's brother Showik was procuring drugs.

They have been booked by the NCB under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, including stringent sections pertaining to procurement of drugs, and financing of illicit trafficking of contrabands.

The court had posed a query to all parties on the application of the stringent section 27-A of the NDPS Act in the case.

The section deals with financing and harbouring drugs and its consumers, and entails a punishment of up to 10 years.

The NCB had questioned the actor based on WhatsApp chats retrieved from her phone, which revealed alleged conversations around procuring drugs.

Rhea Chakraborty's counsel Satish Maneshinde argued that the actress had only occasionally paid for Rajputs drugs and this did not amount to financing.

All the accused had also argued that the drugs seized by the NCB in the case was in small quantity, and did not qualify ascommercial quantity that could attract stringent sections under the NDPS Act.

Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra apartment, Mumbai, on June 14.

(With agencies inputs)

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com