E-Paper
Supreme Court grants bail to Kannada actor Ragini Dwivedi in Sandalwood drugs case
Actor Ragini Dwivedi and two other others are lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Jail on the outskirts of Bengaluru in connection with the Sandalwood drugs case.
The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Kannada actor Ragini Dwivedi, who was arrested in connection with drug menace in the Kannada film industry, also known as “Sandalwood”.
The Karnataka high court had in November rejected the bail plea of Dwivedi and two others - Sanjjanaa Galrani alias Mahira and jeweller Prashanth Ranka. The petitioners had claimed that no evidence had been found against them and so they should be immediately released.
The counsel for prosecution, however, had argued that digital evidence had been collected and are being processed, and since all the accused are influential people, any release could lead to destruction, following which the high court declined to release them.
The three, along with several others, were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under various sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru police and the NCB had jointly arrested Dwivedi on September 14 and Sanjjanaa two days post that.
All the three apart from seven other accused are lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Jail on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
In September, a special NDPS court in Bengaluru had also rejected the bail plea of Galrani and Dwivedi and one Rahul in connection with the case.
The actors have been arrested following a FIR registered in the Cottonpet police station under various sections of CrPC and NDPS acts dealing with illegal drug possession, consumption and dealing.
Several other well known Kannada movie personalities, including star couple Diganth Manchale and Aindrita Ray, anchor Akul Balaji and actor Arryan Santosh have been called in for questioning till now.
