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Aryan Khan Drug Case Updates: 'Who is responsible for trauma Aryan suffered,' asks NCP
Updates: Officials of the NCB, which filed its chargesheet in a Mumbai court, said Aryan Khan and five others had not been named due to "lack of sufficient evidence".
UPDATES: Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has been given a clean chit by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs-on-cruise case. The NCB has also cleared five others - Avi"n Shahu, Gopal Anand, Samir Saighan, Bhaskar Aroda, and Manav Singhal - in a case related to the raid on a yacht - Cordelia, anchored off the Mumbai coast - in October. In a statement released Saturday, the drug's agency said it had carried out its investigation in an 'objective manner' and sought proof (against Aryan Khan) beyond reasonable doubt. "Touchstone of principle of proof beyond reasonable doubt has been applied. Based on the investigation carried out by SIT, a complaint (charge sheet) has been filed against 14 persons under various sections of NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act. Complaint against rest six persons is not being filed due to lack of sufficient evidence," the NCB said. A special team from the anti-drugs agency re-examined the case and found there is insufficient evidence to pursue matters against Aryan Khan and the others. The SIT was constituted after allegations surfaced Aryan was implicated and attempts to extort money were made.
...Read MoreOn Aryan Khan case, ex-AG Mukul Rohatgi shares his only regret
Mukul Rohatgi, the former attorney general of India who represented Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, on Friday said he was happy that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) failed to find any evidence related to the star-son in the incident.
‘Loopholes...’: NCB chief explains clean chit to Aryan Khan in drugs case
The Narcotics Bureau chief said the initial investigation had loopholes which led to the formation of the Special Investigation Team.
“The Special Investigation Team was formed because there were irregularities in the investigation at the local level. There were some loopholes and the SIT was formed to fix them. We also took action against some officials,” NCB chief SN Pradhan said at the presser.
“Was made to sign blank papers by previous Wankhede-led team,” witness told SIT
Prabhakar Sail, one of the witnesses in the case told SIT that he was made to sign blank papers by the previous investigating team led by Wankhede. Singh said that blanket arrests were made under similar charges which were not legally tenable. Sail died of heart attack at his residence on April 2.
NCB deputy director general points ‘gaps’ in probe by previous NCB team
The NCB deputy director general pointed to three key lacunae in the investigation carried out by the previous NCB team. Firstly, Wankhede's team didn't record the raids carried out on the Cordelia cruise bust. Secondly, no medical examination was conducted on anyone including Aryan Khan. There were lapses in the seizure of the mobile phone of the accused. Singh also said that the WhatsApp chats from Aryan's phone were taken without following legal procedures.
Aryan Khan gets clean chit: Ex-NCB officer who arrested him says ‘no comment’
Sameer Wankhede, the NCB's former zonal director in Mumbai who conducted the operation which led to the arrest of Aryan, and several others, refused to comment on the agency's clean chit to the 24-year-old. “Sorry, I can't comment. I'm not in the NCB, talk to NCB officials,” Wankhede was quoted as saying by India Today.
5 reasons why NCB gave Aryan Khan clean chit
The NCB's deputy director general Sanjay Singh said the previous investigating team couldn't prove the charge of Aryan Khan procuring drugs from his friend Arbaaz Merchant. He added that the WhatsApp chats of Aryan Khan didn't link him to the drugs case.
WATCH | Drugs-on-cruise case: Aryan Khan gets clean clean | What we know so far
Govt calls for action against Sameer Wankhede for 'shoddy investigation’ : Report
Sameer Wankhede was on deputation to the NCB starting September 2020. His term ended December 31 and he has returned to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
‘Loopholes...’: NCB chief explains clean chit to Aryan Khan in drugs case
The Narcotics Bureau chief said the initial investigation had loopholes which led to the formation of the Special Investigation Team.
“The Special Investigation Team was formed because there were irregularities in the investigation at the local level. There were some loopholes and the SIT was formed to fix them. We also took action against some officials,” NCB chief SN Pradhan said at the presser.
“What was the motive,” asks NCP after clean chit to Aryan
NCP spokesman Clyde Crasto said, "If Aryan Khan was clean, why was he tainted? What was the motive? Who will be held responsible for the trauma this young man suffered? Many questions arise."
Who is responsible for trauma Aryan suffered, asks NCP after NCB's clean chit to him
Hailing the clean chit given by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, in the 'drugs on cruise' case, the ruling NCP in Maharashtra on Friday asked who would be held responsible for the trauma he suffered.
Govt has called for appropriate action against Sameer Wankhede “for his shoddy investigation”, reports ANI citing sources
Sources close to the matter have told news agency ANI that the Govt has asked “Competent Authority to take appropriate action” against ex-NCB official Sameer Wankhede “for his shoddy investigation” into Aryan Khan drugs haul case. Govt has already taken action in the case of Sameer Wankhede's fake caste certificate case, ANI reported quoting sources.
“WhatsApp chats hold no value,” NCB on clean chit to Aryan Khan
“There should be physical corroboration of WhatsApp chat. Courts have clarified that WhatsApp chat, in itself, holds no value. You can talk about anything on WhatsApp but if not corroborated with physical evidence, it's not complete evidence,” NCB head to media on drugs-on-cruise case.
Aryan Khan gets clean chit: Ex-NCB officer who arrested him says ‘no comment’
Sameer Wankhede, the NCB's former zonal director in Mumbai who conducted the operation which led to the arrest of Aryan, and several others, refused to comment on the agency's clean chit to the 24-year-old. “Sorry, I can't comment. I'm not in the NCB, talk to NCB officials,” Wankhede was quoted as saying by India Today.
Here's everything to know about drugs-on-cruise case
The NCB probe - which was initially led by Sameer Wankhede - was shifted from Mumbai to Delhi as a political row erupted over the case following allegations from Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.
"Chargesheet last stop but..," NCB head on drugs-on-cruise case
“Chargesheet is kind of a last stop in any case but supplementary chargesheet can be filed in case if some new evidence is found,” SN Pradhan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Some mistakes were made at the local level: NCB Director-General
The NCB said that some mistakes were made at the local level due to which Special Investigation Team (SIT) had to take the matter in their hands. “Some mistakes were made at the local level due to which the matter had to be taken up by the SIT,” NCB head told ANI.
Found physical & circumstantial evidence against 14: NCB
“Against 14 persons we found physical & circumstantial evidence and against 6 we have found very insufficient evidence which does not satisfy the principle of beyond reasonable doubt which has been again and again reiterated by the Supreme Court & other courts,” NCB head SN Pradhan told news agency ANI.
Aryan Khan gets clean chit in drugs case. Who were chargesheeted?
Here is the full list of those included and excluded in the Narcotics Control Bureau's chargesheet.
Clean chit to Aryan Khan: List of people who have been chargesheeted
Among those who have been chargesheeted are: Arbaaz Merchant. Munmun Dhamecha, Vikrant Chhokar. Mohak Jaiswal, Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Gomit Chopra, Nupur Satija, Abdul Kadar Shaikh, Shreyas Nair, Manish Rajgariya, Aachit Kumar, Chinedu Igwe, Shivraj Harijan. and Okoro Uzeoma.
Drugs-on-cruise case: List of 6 people who have been given clean chit
Aryan Khan is among six people who have not been chargesheeted. Avin Shahu, Gopal Ji Anand, Samir Saighan. Bhaskar Aroda and Manav Singhal are also in the 'not chargesheeted' list.
Drugs-on-cruise case: Of the 20 arrested - clean chit to 6, complaints filed against 14
“On basis of evidence that we have gathered during investigation, we found evidence against 14 & we've filed complaints against them, we couldn't find sufficient evidence against 6 others, so we've not filed against them,” Sanjay Kr Singh, DDG (Ops), NCB on Mumbai drugs on cruise.
What was the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case
A team from the Narcotics Control Bureau busted an alleged drugs party on Cordelia - a yacht off the Mumbai coast and on its way to Goa on the night of October 2. Eventually 20 people, including Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, were arrested.
Court had said 'nothing objectionable' in WhatsApp chats from Aryan's seized phone
In hearings last year, including those in which Aryan Khan sought bail, the court had said 'perusal of WhatsApp chats extracted from phone of Aryan Khan shows nothing objectionable...to suggest that he, Arbaaz and Munmun, along with other accused, in the case have hatched a conspiracy to commit the offence in question'.
Timeline of Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case
SRK's son Aryan Khan was arrested in October 2021 and spent over 20 days in jail before being granted bail on October 28. For a timeline of the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case click here.
