HC reserves order on bail pleas of Rhea Chakraborty, Showik
The Bombay High Court today has reserved the order on the bail pleas of actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, and others. Rhea was arrested earlier this month by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with a drugs probe related to fellow actor and her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput's death in June. Here are more details on this.
On September 8, following days of questioning and searches at her home, Rhea was arrested. The 28-year-old actor, who had been dating Sushant for a year before his death, had been booked for organizing banned drugs such as marijuana for him. The anti-drugs agency had, at the time, called her an "active member of a drug syndicate."
Days after her first bail plea was rejected by a special court in Mumbai, Rhea filed another petition in the Bombay High Court. In her plea, the actor has alleged a witch-hunt by the NCB. She also claimed that Sushant was the only consumer of the drugs she procured, adding that he "took advantage of those closest to him to sustain his drug habit."
However, the NCB had on Monday submitted a statement, thereby opposing bail for Rhea and her brother. The agency said that the two accused bought drugs not for their own use but to supply them to Sushant, which is "a more serious offense." "Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, this is the most serious crime," NCB officer Sameer Wankhede has said.
"It is clear from statements and electronic evidence gathered by the NCB that the applicant is an active member of the drug syndicate connected with high society personalities and drug suppliers. There is sufficient evidence that she is involved in drug trafficking," the agency added.
The NCB had launched a probe in this case after another agency investigating Sushant's death found certain WhatsApp chats that hinted at drug use. Sushant was found dead at his home in Mumbai on June 14. The actor died by suicide and had been suffering from depression, cops had said. His family, however, accused Rhea of mentally harassing him and driving him to suicide.
Nearly 20 people have been held by the NCB in this case. The probe has also widened into allegations of a drug nexus in the Hindi film industry. In fact, three top Bollywood actresses, viz. Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan were questioned by the agency last week. Their names either emerged from WhatsApp chats or during questioning of other arrested accused.
