Actor Rhea Chakraborty’s lawyer said on Friday they would decide about moving the Bombay High Court next week after a local court in Mumbai rejected her bail plea. She has been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) over drugs charges linked to its probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
The special court rejected the bail plea of Rhea, her brother Showik and other accused----Abdul Basit, Zaid Vilatra, Dipesh Sawant and Samuel Miranda--in the case.
“Once we get the order copy. We will decide next week on the course of action on approaching the high court,” Satish Maneshinde said, according to news agency ANI.
Rhea had said in her plea that she was innocent and falsely implicated. Both Rhea and her brother have been booked under section 27A of the NDPS act, which provides for punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders.
The defence raised the issue of applicability of charges of Section 27A of the NDPS Act against the two. In Rhea’s plea, the defence stated, “The allegations against the present accused would at the most make out a case of purchasing small quantity of drug, which is in essence a bailable offence. There is not a shred of evidence to connect the applicant with financing any illicit traffic or harbouring any offender, and hence the ingredients of Section 27A of the NDPS Act are not made out in present facts and circumstances.”
The defence also alleged that even though the role attributed to Rhea and her brother Showik is identical to that of another accused, Kaizan Ebrahim, NCB selectively invoked charges of Section 27A only against Rhea and Showik. Ebrahim was released on provisional cash bail on the very first day of his remand by the magistrate court, the defence pointed out.
{{/usCountry}}The defence also alleged that even though the role attributed to Rhea and her brother Showik is identical to that of another accused, Kaizan Ebrahim, NCB selectively invoked charges of Section 27A only against Rhea and Showik. Ebrahim was released on provisional cash bail on the very first day of his remand by the magistrate court, the defence pointed out.
{{/usCountry}}The pleas were opposed by the prosecution, claiming that all the persons accused are connected and each case cannot be looked at in isolation.
The agency said that the quantity of the entire contraband seized from all the accused persons, as per law, becomes commercial, in which case, the offence is non-bailable.