Rhea Chakraborty Gets Bail After Month In Jail
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and three others in a drug case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14. Also read: 5 Affordable Laptops That Are Great for Working From Home
Rhea has been lodged in the jail after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for the past one month was arrested her for procuring drugs through Showik and supplying them to Rajput. They have been booked by the NCB under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
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The actress was sent to Mumbai’s Byculla Jail on September 9, a day after she was arrested in the case.
On Tuesday, Rhea and her brother’s judicial custody was extended till October 20.
In her bail petition, Rhea Chakraborty alleged that Sushant Singh Rajput “took advantage of those closest to him to sustain his drug habit” and that she and her brother are sole targets of a witch-hunt.
She said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and his family abandoned him at the peak of his depression. His mental health “deteriorated during the lockdown”, she claimed, adding that the deaths of actors Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor also had a tremendous impact on him.
Sushant Singh was “extremely happy after being offered ₹ 14 crores for a movie”, she said, alleging that the actor was disturbed over a rift with his family, especially his father.
Rhea Chakraborty also argued that the charges against her are too severe compared to the quantity of the drugs involved. She accused the drugs probe agency of spinning a false narrative that she was involved in illegal drug trafficking and “harbored offenders”.
The CBI is investigating the circumstances of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and the Enforcement Directorate is looking into financial allegations raised by the actor’s father.
The Narcotics Control Bureau stepped into the Sushant Singh Rajput investigations when WhatsApp chats retrieved from Rhea Chakraborty’s phone revealed alleged conversations involving the procuring of drugs.
Several top actors have been questioned by the anti-drugs bureau in a widening probe into drugs and the film industry.
NCB opposing bail plea
During the last hearing, the NCB had opposed the bail application of Rhea and her brother in the Bombay High Court, claiming that the siblings were “active members of a drug syndicate that was connected with high society personalities and drug suppliers”.
The anti-drugs agency also said that they “abetted and financed” drug transactions.
ASG Anil Singh, appearing for the NCB, said, “All throughout arguments, applicants state that this is connected to Sushant Singh Rajput death case but this investigation has nothing to do with it.”
“I want to point out that this a drug syndicate and that they are all interlinked. All persons arrested till now, are connected with each other and it is a syndicate. There were regular links and purchasing,” he added.
Earlier, Rhea’s counsel Satish Maneshinde had told the HC that the NCB had no jurisdiction to initiate the inquiry in the drugs case and that it should be transferred to the CBI.
NCB drugs probe
The NCB had taken over the dugs probe after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was probing money laundering charges angle into the case, shared some social media chats retrieved from Rhea’s mobile phone, hinting at the alleged use of banned drugs.
Rajput was found dead at his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is separately investigating an abetment to suicide case registered by Rajput’s father against Rhea and others.