The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, and also to Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. Justice W. Nitin Sambre will pronounce a detailed order on Friday.
“Aryan will come out on bail only after the detailed order is received,” clarified Advocate Satish Maneshinde, one of the lawyers representing Aryan. Before granting bail, Justice Sambre asked the prosecution, “What is the basis for saying he (Aryan) has tried to deal with commercial quantity [of narcotics]? What do you have?” “The WhatsApp chat will show he made an attempt to deal with commercial quantity, that’s all,” replied the Additional Solicitor General, and the Court immediately allowed bail to Aryan and the others.
The ASG argued that if two people were travelling together, and the first person knows the drug is with the other, and it is for their consumption, “Though the person may not be in actual physical possession, he may be in ‘conscious possession’.”
But the Court did not admit that as a valid reason for withholding bail either. NCB chief Sameer Wankhede and hostile witness Prabhakar Sail’s affidavits are a part of the Board’s reply.
Former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi joined the already formidable array of people representing Aryan in the case, including Advocates Satish Maneshinde and Amit Desai. They presented enough arguments to help Aryan get bail.
Aryan has been in custody and jail for the past 25 days after being apprehended, detained and then arrested for alleged involvement in a rave party after a bust by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 2 on a cruise ship anchored off Mumbai.
Meanwhile
Justice Sambre was not happy about the number of people in the courtroom. The room was jampacked, and COVID protocols were not being followed. The Judge ordered the room to be cleared. Cops asked everyone barring the advocates to leave. Later, representatives of the media were allowed in after checking their identity proofs.
These were some of the NCB’s points to oppose bail
1. Aryan can influence witnesses, tamper with evidence
2. Evidence shows he has international linkages, and is part of illicit drug trafficking
3. He is part of a conspiracy, hence one person (Aryan) cannot be isolated
4. Recovery of substance from Aryan is not important [No contraband was recovered from him]
