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Sushant Singh Rajput drug case: Bombay HC seeks NCB’s reply to bail pleas of Samuel Miranda, Dipesh Sawant and Abdel Basit Parihar
The Bombay high court on Friday directed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to file replies to bail applications filed by three arrested accused in the case of actor
The Bombay high court on Friday directed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to file replies to bail applications filed by three arrested accused in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Two members of Rajput’s domestic staff, Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant, along with alleged drug peddler Abdel Basit Parihar moved for bail. Additional solicitor general (ASG) Anil Singh sought time to file replies to the pleas. The next hearing will be on September 29.
Miranda, Sawant and Parihar were arrested by NCB as part of the agency’s investigation into allegations of drug abuse in the case of Rajput’s death. They applied for bail contending that the charges against them are bailable. The trio were previously denied bail by a special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. According to NCB, Miranda and Sawant received parcels with contraband material on instructions of actor Rhea Chkaraborty, who has also been arrested. Parihar allegedly supplied contraband to Rajput.
Appearing for the arrested accused, advocate Taraq Sayed submitted that all offences under the NDPS Act involving small quantity of contraband material are bailable and his clients should not be charged with section 27A (financing illegal trafficking) of the NDPS Act. Sayed further submitted that there no drugs were recovered from the three applicants. He also pointed out that the quantity of drugs recovered is small and those from whom drugs were recovered were granted bail.
Justice Kotwal directed ASG Singh to reply to the specific issues raised by the applicants and in response to which Singh sought time.
Bandra hotelier Zaid Vilatra, who was also arrested by NCB in connection with this case, moved HC challenging his remand. His petition will come up for hearing on Monday.
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