The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has told the Bombay High Court that if a person does not reveal the fact of drug use by another person, it will amount to “harboring” a criminal.
The NCB made the filing Tuesday to justify the invocation of Section 27A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) against film actor Rhea Chakrabory and four others in connection with the alleged acquisition of medications for the late actor Sushant Singh. Rajput.
Section 27A deals with “financing illicit trafficking and sheltering offenders”, and carries a penalty of between ten and twenty years in severe prison.
Attorneys for Rhea and other co-defendants claimed that the defendant cannot be said to have “sheltered” Sushant as he lived in his own apartment and that Sushant was not under arrest at any time.
Responding to this, Additional Attorney General Anil Singh presented on behalf of the NCB: “If someone I know is using drugs … the use is illegal … and I am not going to tell anyone … I don’t know. I will reveal to the police. … then it can be included in the definition of ‘harbor’ (per Section 27A) “.
Judge SV Kotwal asked whether it was necessary to always make arrests in NDPS cases if the intention is to reform drug addicts.
Singh replied that anyone who acquires drugs should be treated in accordance with the provisions of the Act for deterrence purposes.
He also said that in drug cases, recovery is not necessary and if the court sees the entire union, the drugs were not delivered only to Sushant.
“Rhea’s brother was in contact with all the drug dealers. The person (Sushant) may not be alive. But that does not mean that the offense will go away, “he added.
Refuting NCB’s accusation that Rhea, along with her brother Showik, “financed” the drug purchases of her boyfriend and late actor Sushant, her lawyer Satish Maneshinde told the Bombay High Court that “Rajput had no shortage of funds.”
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