#MumbaiDrugBust: Aryan Khan, others granted bail by Bombay HC
The Bombay High Court finally granted bail to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and two others on Thursday. The court had finished listening to the defense arguments of the three accused—Aryan, Arbaaz Merchantt, and Munmun Dhamecha—yesterday. And today, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India Anil Singh, appearing for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), opposed the bail and presented his arguments.
Dhamecha, Merchantt were also given relief
After listening to the arguments of both sides, the court decided to grant bail to all the three accused. The court will be pronouncing the detailed order with reasons tomorrow. Following the decision, Mukul Rohatgi (representing Aryan) asked for cash bail. The operative order will be dictated in an open court tomorrow, alongside specifying the bail conditions. Thus, Aryan won't get released before tomorrow.
'Aryan is not first-time offender, but regular customer': ASG
A single bench of Justice Nitin Sambre continued to hear the case from 3:00pm today. The ASG said Aryan was not a first-time offender but a "regular consumer for the past few years and the record shows that he [has] been providing drugs." He cited Showik Chakraborty's case, saying a person can be liable for offense even if drugs aren't found in their possession.
'Bail is not a rule' in NDPS cases, said ASG
Pay-off allegations: Sam D'Souza turned out to be fake
Now, looking at matters outside the courtroom, new angles emerged in the extortion allegation case. Remember Prabhakar Sail, the NCB witness who said he heard his employer at that time, KP Gosavi, speaking to an individual named Sam D'Souza about an Rs. 18 crore deal? Turns out, D'Souza was a fake name circulated with the picture and contact number of a different person.
Gosavi was detained in Pune this morning
A resident of Maharashtra, Hanik Bafna, approached police complaining he was receiving multiple calls asking him about his involvement in a drugs case. He claimed Sail was misusing his WhatsApp profile photo and number. An investigation is on. Meanwhile, Gosavi was detained in Pune in connection with a 2018 cheating case this morning. His interrogation can reveal crucial links regarding questions against NCB's credibility.
Sameer Wankhede will lead the Cordelia Cruises case for now
Further, NCB clarified that Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede will continue to lead the Cordelia Cruises drug bust case as an inquiry into extortion allegations against him works ahead. A five-member team—led by NCB deputy director Gynaneshwar Singh—is conducting the same and has recorded Wankhede's statement today. Also, Mumbai Police told the Bombay High Court Wankhede will be given a three-day notice before he's arrested.
