Aspecial court on Friday rejected the bail applications of actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and four others in connection with a much-discussed drug case relating to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.
Following the rejection of her bail plea, Rhea — who was arrested in connection in connection with a drug case on Tuesday — will remain in Byculla women’s jail for another eleven more days, unless and until she gets some relief from another court.
Friday’s was the second occasion when Rhea’s bail application was rejected by a court. Earlier, hours after her arrest on September 8, a city court had rejected her bail application remanded in judicial custody for 14 days i.e. till September 22.
Rhea is likely to move the Bombay High Court in the coming days for bail. “Once we get the copy of the order, we will decide next week on the course of action i.e., about approaching the high court,” Rhea’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said.
Apart from Rhea and Showik, the four other accused who were denied bail by the court were: Sushant’s house manager Samuel Miranda, house help Dipesh Sawant and two alleged drug peddlers Abdel Bashit Parihar and Zaid Vilatra. While Rhea and Showik were represented by advocate Satish Maneshinde, the NCB was represented by Special Public Prosecutor Atul Sarpande.
Welcoming the rejection of bail applications of Rhea and Showik, Sarpande said: “While rejecting the bail pleas, the court has accepted the contentions of the prosecution that the investigations are at a crucial stage”.
During the 19-long hours of grilling carried out during a span of three days, Rhea reportedly admitted that she had procured drugs for Sushant through her currently arrested brother Showik Chakraborty, that she had acknowledged that she knew about Samuel purchasing drugs for the actor from drug peddler Zaid Vilatra and that she had accepted that she had accepted drug-related WhatsApp chats between her and others
On her part, Rhea has retracted the confessional statement recorded by the NCB ahead of her arrest.
However, the NCB counsel told the city sessions court that as per Rhea’s statement that Rhea was making payment for the drugs, which were taken delivery of by Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant for allegedly handing over to Sushant Singh Rajput. He went onto contend that the drugs were “financed” by Rhea and “supplied” to Sushant, an alleged offense that prompted the NCB to book her under Section 27A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
In one of the several grounds that he had cited for grant of bail to his client Rhea, Maneshinde had stated in the bail application filed before the court: “The application has been arraigned for an offence punishable under section 8 (c) read with 20 (b) (ii) 22, 27 A, 28, 29 and 30 of the NDPS Act, 1985. Given that no drug and psychotropic substances have been seized from the applicant and the allegations. If any, would pertain strictly to small quantities, and given that though section 27 A has been applied, the ingredients have thereof not been made out, the bar under section 37 (1) of the NDPS would not apply in the present circumstances. Thus the offence, if any, is bailable in nature the Applicant ought to be enlarged on bail”.
The other ground that Maneshinde cited for the release of Rhea and Showik on bail is the “ground of parity” since three other accused arrested in connection with the same have been released on bail. He also told the court that the section 27 (A) of NDPS Act, 1985 pertaining to financing illicit traffic of drugs had been applied only in the case of Rhea and Showik although “no seizures have been made from the two”.
However, the Mumbai Sessions court did not accept the grounds cited by Maneshinde for granting bail to Rhea.
Rhea and Showik are among the ten accused arrested in connection with the drug case related to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The other arrested accused are: Abbas Lakhani, Karan Arora, Zaid Vilatra, Abdel Basit Parihar, Anuj Keswani, Kaizan Ibrahim, Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant.
The NCB’s case is based on 59 grams of curated marijuana seized from alleged drug peddlers Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora who were arrested earlier, and have now been granted bail.
More seizures were made from Anuj Keshvani based on the disclosure from Kaizan Ibrahim, who according to the NCB is another drug peddler who supplied marijuana to Showik Chakraborty and Samuel Miranda through Abdel Basit Parihar.
Rhea -- whose brother Showik was arrested along with late actor’s house manager Samuel Miranda by the NCB on September 5 in connection with the Sushant death-related drug case – was earlier questioned by the NCB her about the whatsApp exchanges between Rhea and others that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had shared with the CBI and NCB alleging “procuring and usage” of drugs.
