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Aryan Khan case: Why did NCB refer to Showik Chakraborty case? Explained
Aryan Khan's lawyer however said the cases are not comparable as Showik Chakraborty was not accused of consumption of drugs; charges against him was that of dealing in drugs.
During the hearing of the Aryan Khan case this week, the Narcotics Control Bureau referred to the case of Showik Chakraborty, who was arrested by the agency in September 2020 on charges of procuring drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead. Showik and his sister Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant's friend, were accused of procuring drugs for the deceased actor. Showik spent almost three months in jail after he was granted bail in December last year. The case was mentioned by additional solicitor general Anil Singh as he opposed Aryan Khan's bail plea.
What is the connection between the two cases?
The ASG referred to the case to cite the Bombay high court's earlier judgment denying bail to Showik Chakraborty. In October 2020, the Bombay high court refused bail to Showik Chakraborty saying that he was a part of the drug dealers' chain. As in the case of Aryan Khan, no drug was recovered from Showik Chakraborty as well, but this could not be the ground for his bail, the NCB counsel in the Aryan Khan case said this to the court.
"Showik's contention was that nothing was recovered from him. However, the court said the matter is being investigated and you were in touch with a drug dealer. Here, Achit and Shivraj are the drug dealers. Therefore, in this case also, no bail can be granted," NCB counsel argued before the court.
One point on which Aryan Khan's lawyer has strongly stressed is the fact that no drug was found from Aryan Khan. Referring to Showik Chakraborty's case, the NCB counsel argued that the quantity of recovery is immaterial as the accused is part of a drug chain.
What did Aryan Khan's lawyer say on this?
Aryan Khan's lawyer Amit Desai, who are arguing for Aryan Khan on that day said Showik's case can not be compared with Aryan Khan's as the charge against Showik was not that of consumption but dealing with drugs. "Showik's case has to be distinguished from an end consumer's case because Showik didn't consume but dealt in drugs," Desai said.
