Mumbai, Sep 29 (UNI) The Bombay High Court has reserved its order till further date on a bail plea moved by Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and three others in a drugs case related to fellow actor and friend Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, on conclusion of arguments by the prosecution and the defence sides on Tuesday.
While opposing the bail plea before Justice Sarang V Kotwal, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) strongly opposed the bail pleas, saying that the offences against them were non-bailable as the crime involved “worse than murder or culpable homicide”.
Appearing for the NCB, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the court that it will have to keep in mind the backdrop under which the NDPS Act is made with respect to the social condition and the legislative intent.
He argued that all persons arrested till now are connected with each other and it is a syndicate.There was a regular link and purchasing, therefore the court will have to consider the case as a whole not one accused from another.
Defence advocate Satish Maneshinde, while appearing for Reha and Showik, challenged the application of section 27A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offender), contending the NCB, in its 18-page affidavit, has tried to justify how Rhea and her brother are a part of a large drug syndicate that supplies anti-narcotics substances in the entire film industry.
In their answer to the court, Rhea’s lawyer further argued that the actress was only involved in procuring drugs for her boyfriend, therefore, section 27A cannot be applied in the case.
He also said that this is a fit case for bail.
The court was conducting a day-long hearing on bail pleas and arguments on whether offences were bailable and if certain provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were applicable in present cases.
The bail pleas by Rhea, Showik and three others, including Samuel Miranda, Abdel Basit Parihar and Dipesh Sawant, were rejected by the special NDPS court on September 11.
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