New Delhi: The Bombay high court on Wednesday granted bail to actress Rhea Chakraborty who had been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on September 8 in connection with a drugs-related probe linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
According to a report in LiveLaw, Rajput’s house manager Samuel Miranda and his house staffer Dipesh Sawant were also granted bail in the case registered by the NCB, which is headed by Rakesh Asthana, against whom the CBI had previously decided to file an FIR for taking bribes.
However, the Bombay high court bench rejected the bail applications of Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty and Abdel Basith Parihar.
Chakraborty’s bail application was permitted on furnishing a bond of Rs 1 lakh and other conditions while Dipesh Sawant and Samuel Miranda’s bail pleas have been allowed upon the furnishing of PR bonds of Rs 50,000 each.
A single bench of Justice Sarang V. Kotwal had reserved orders on the bail applications on September 29, after a marathon hearing which lasted from 11 am till about 7 pm.
The bench also directed Rhea Chakraborty to mark her presence at the nearest police station for ten days following her release. The court also directed her to deposit her passport and not travel outside the country without prior permission from the court and inform the investigating officer before going outside Greater Mumbai.
Also read: The ‘Danse Macabre’ Around Rhea Chakraborty Has Exposed Indian Society’s Inherent Misogyny
Chakraborty’s lawyer told media persons that the he is delighted by the order of the Bombay high court. “Truth and justice have prevailed and ultimately the submissions on facts and law have been accepted,” the lawyer said. “The arrest and custody of Rhea was totally unwarranted and beyond the reach of law. The hounding and witch hunt by three central agencies .. the CBI, ED and NCB of Rhea should come to an end. We remain committed to the truth,” the statement says
The accused were booked for offences under Section 8(c), 20(b)(ii), 22, 27 A, 28, 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The lawyers for the accused had argued that no drugs had been recovered from the accused and that the NCB had no case that the accused consumed drugs. They further argued that the NCB had wrongfully invoked the offence of ‘financing illicit trade’ and ‘harbouring offender’.
Additional solicitor general Anil Singh, representing the NCB, submitted that the recovery of contraband was not necessary for sustaining NDPS offences and that concealing drug consumption habits of another person amounted to ‘harbouring of the offender’.
Singh further argued that the court look into the objectives of the NDPS Act, which are to “save the youth of the country from the menace of drugs”.
The Bombay high court verdict came on the heels of a report by the AIIMS medical board which ruled out murder ‘completely’ and said that actor Sushant Singh Rajput had died by suicide, terming his death “a case of hanging and death by suicide”.
If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers (www.spif.in/seek-help/) they can call to speak in confidence. You could also refer them to the nearest hospital.
Source: https://thewire.in/law/rhea-chakraborty-bail-bombay-high-court
