The Bombay High Court, which had reserved its order on bail pleas of Rhea and Showik Chakraborty, along with three others including Samuel Miranda, Abdel Bashit Parihar and Dipesh Sawant, last week will be announcing its decision on Wednesday.
Both Rhea and Showik are prime accused by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case linked to late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Rhea, who had a relationship with Sushant is accused of being an “active member of a drugs syndicate”.
According to NCB, Rhea was “involved in the illicit trafficking of drugs and she financed drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput.” Similar allegations were also levelled against Showik and stringent sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 were slapped against the two.
Earlier their bail applications were rejected by a special NDPS court after which they approached Bombay HC for bail and had refuted the allegation of “financing” narcotic drugs for the consumption of the deceased actor.
Senior Advocate Satish Maneshinde arguing for Chakraborty’s said that Sushant Singh Rajput was the only consumer of drugs and that he used to consume before the entry of Rhea in his life. “Had Sushant Singh Rajput been alive today, he would have been punished under Section 20,” Maneshinde said.
“Sushant would have then claimed the immunity of rehabilitation and got away with punishment for small quantities,” he added. While Additional solicitor general Anil Singh, who opposed the bail applications on behalf of NCB said “crime done by Rhea and Showik are worse than murder or culpable homicide”.
The Supreme Court has observed that the offences are worse than murder or culpable homicide. Murder or culpable homicide affects a family. These offences (drugs offences) affect the entire society. Youngsters are getting affected.” A single-bench of Justice Sarang V. Kotwal was conducting a day-long hearing on 29 September from morning 11 am to evening 6.45 pm and heard all submissions and arguments.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday a Special NDPS Court of Mumbai extended the judicial custody of Rhea and her Showik till 20 October.
Further, a plea filed by late actor Sushant’s sister Priyanka to quash FIR against her by Rhea has also adjourned to 13 October after Bombay HC said, “There is no urgency in the matter, the investigation is on. We do not want to interfere at this stage.”