A Mumbai court sent comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiyaa into custody until December 4 in connection with the ganja seizure of their residence.
The couple was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). While Bharti was arrested on Saturday, her husband was arrested on Sunday after being interrogated for 12 hours.
They were arrested after the seizure of ganja (cannabis) from their suburban Andheri home by NCB detectives. Both Singh and her husband are charged with using marijuana, an NCB official said.
They have been registered under the provisions of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).
Also read: What we know about the case so far
Acting on an advisory, the NCB on Saturday conducted a search of Singh’s office and residence as part of its investigation into the alleged use of drugs in the entertainment industry, and seized 86.5 g of cannabis during the search.
“Both Ms. Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya accepted the consumption of ganja,” said a statement from the NCB.
The amount allegedly seized from Singh’s possession is considered a “small amount” under the NDPS Act, compared to the “commercial amount,” an NCB official said.
Up to 1000g of marijuana is considered a small quantity, which carries a jail term of up to six months and / or a fine of Rs 10,000. Possession of a commercial quantity (20 kg or more) can carry up to 20 years in prison. For the intermediate amount, the punishment can be up to 10 years in jail.
Bharti Singh has appeared on various comedy and reality TV shows and has hosted some of those shows as well.
The NCB has been investigating alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June this year on the basis of drug-related WhatsApp chats.
The central agency previously arrested Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, some employees of the late movie star, and some others under various sections of the NDPS Act.
Rhea Chakraborty and some other defendants are currently out on bail.
(With inputs from agencies)
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