Comedian Bharti Singh, husband Harsh granted bail in drugs case
Comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiyaa, who were arrested over allegations of drug use by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) last week, have been granted bail by a Mumbai court. The celebrity couple was taken into custody by the agency after banned substances were discovered from their premises during a raid on November 21. Here are more details on this.
Bharti, Harsh were sent to judicial custody till December 4
After allegedly seizing 86.5 grams of cannabis from their residence and production house office in Mumbai, NCB arrested Bharti on Saturday whereas Harsh was taken into custody on Sunday. Yesterday, both of them were sent to judicial custody until December 4. Both Bharti and her husband have confessed to the consumption of marijuana, reports said.
NCB raided comedian's residence on November 21
The anti-drugs agency raided Bharti and Harsh's residence on November 21, after which both of them were summoned for questioning. Meanwhile, their lawyer, Ayaz Khan, requested bail on grounds that they have no connections in drug-peddling. For the unversed, Bharti and Harsh got married in December 2017, and were recently hosting the reality show India's Best Dancer on Sony TV.
What is the punishment for procuring cannabis in India?
In India, where cannabis is illegal, the punishment varies depending upon the amount procured. For small quantities (i.e., 1 kg or less), the punishment could be up to one year's imprisonment or fine of Rs. 10,000, or both.
Earlier, Arjun Rampal and Firoz Nadiadwala were questioned
Earlier this month, NCB had raided producer Firoz Nadiadwala's residence and allegedly recovered 10 grams of cannabis. His wife Shabana Saeed was arrested and later granted bail. Actor Arjun Kapoor and his girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades were also summoned by the NCB after their Mumbai residence was searched for by the agency. Gabriella was summoned twice, while Arjun was grilled for six hours.
Many Bollywood stars are involved in the case
The ongoing investigation began in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death earlier in June. Many celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh have been grilled by the NCB in the matter. Earlier, actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik were also arrested. While Rhea has since been released on bail, Showik continues to remain imprisoned.
