Mumbai, September 11
A special court here on Friday rejected the bail statements of Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, arrested by the NCB in connection with a drug-related case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. defender Satish Maneshinde said.
The court also rejected the bail statements of four other defendants in the case: Abdul Basit, Zaid Vilatra, Dipesh Sawant and Samuel Miranda.
The six defendants are likely to apply for bail to the Bombay High Court, Maneshinde added shortly after the ruling.
Special Judge GB Gurao, who is presiding over cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), rejected their requests for bail.
All of the accused are currently in judicial custody.
Until she receives further relief, Rhea (28), who was arrested on September 8 and placed in judicial custody until September 22, will remain in Byculla jail.
The other defendant, Miranda, the house manager of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the house aide Sawant and two drug traffickers are also in judicial custody.
Special prosecutor Atul Sarpande, who appeared for the Narcotics Control Office (NCB), welcomed the decision and said that the court, while rejecting the bail statements, had accepted the prosecution’s arguments that the investigation it was at a crucial stage.
Rhea’s attorney, Satish Maneshinde, said they would decide the further course of action after reading the court order.
“Once we get a copy of the order approved by the NDPS special court, we will decide next week on the further course of action and on approaching the Bombay High Court,” Maneshinde told the media.
In the bond statement, Maneshinde vigorously argued that there was nothing in the record to suggest that Rhea was in any way involved with financing illicit drug trafficking or harboring criminals in connection with narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.
He pointed out to Special Judge GB Gurao that the NCB was silent on the amount of drugs, the type of drugs supposedly purchased and financed by it, the amount of narcotics.
“The case against her is that she coordinated the delivery of drugs for her boyfriend (Sushant) and occasionally even made the payment for it … These accusations constitute a crime that is liable to be bail,” Maneshinde said.
In her release on bail, Rhea had claimed that she was falsely involved in the case.
Rhea had also retracted the confessional statement recorded by the NCB when she was questioned for three days.
She had claimed that NCB officials had coerced her into making self-incriminating statements.
By retracting his “self-incriminating confessions,” he described his arrest as “unjustified, without any justification,” “arbitrarily restricted his freedom,” faced death and rape threats, and there were no female officers present during the interrogation, which took place from 6 to September 8, with his arrest on the last day.
The NCB had strongly objected to the bail statements, saying that Rhea was aware of the fact that the Rajput used drugs, but continued to acquire and make payments for drugs despite that.
The OCN had said that while the amount of prohibited drugs seized in the case was small, it was still a commercial amount and was worth Rs 1.85,200.
“Rhea Chakraborty and Showik Chakraborty financed and organized drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput and according to their instructions,” the NCB had said in its affidavit in response to bail requests.
“He added that according to the statement given by Rajput’s co-defendant and domestic helper Dipesh Sawant, he used to obtain drugs from other defendants in the case on the instructions of Rajput and Rhea. Financial transactions were handled by Rhea and sometimes Rajput. Dipesh Sawant used to purchase drugs together with co-defendant Samuel Miranda (former Rajput house manager) for the consumption of Sushant Singh Rajput, ”the affidavit reads.
The NCB had further said that if the defendants are released on bail, they can alter the evidence and attempt to intimidate key witnesses in the case.
Rejecting the defendants’ guilty plea, Special Judge Gurao rejected their requests for bail and all defendants will remain in custody until the Bombay High Court grants reparations.
The NCB began its investigation after the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), which was investigating the money laundering charges linked to the case, shared the social media chats recovered from Rhea’s mobile phone, hinting at the use of prohibited drugs.
Rajput was found hanging at his residence in the suburbs of Bandra on June 14.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is separately investigating a case against Rhea and others for allegedly instigating the 34-year-old actor’s suicide. PTI / IANS
