Aryan drug case: Bail plea hearing today in Bombay High Court
Former attorney general for India Mukul Rohatgi will represent Shah Rukh’s son today
Aryan Khan’s bail plea hearing will take place today (October 26) at the Bombay High Court and he will be represented by senior advocate and former attorney general for India Mukul Rohatgi. His bail has already been rejected twice by the Magistrate Court and the special NDPS court since his arrest after a drug bust on a luxury ship in Mumbai by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Today is significant for Aryan, as the plea hearing is being held right after Sameer Wankhede, the NCB zonal officer spearheading this investigation, has been accused off a Rs80 million pay off by a witness who has now gone hostile. Wankhede has denied those allegations, but a probe has been triggered by his office.
Meanwhile, Aryan’s friend and actress Ananya Pandey, who was questioned by the NCB to investigate if she supplied or consumed drugs with Shah Rukh’s son, failed to appear before the NCB yesterday. Their WhatsApp chats are being pored over with NCB trying to find drug trade links between the two star kids and friends.
Aryan’s arrest on October 2 after a drug raid has captured the fascination of Indians around the globe and has descended into a political slug fest along with unleashing a media circus around the superstar’s son. Th 23-year-old has been in custody for more than three weeks.
According to reports, NCB has charged Aryan with offences under Section 8(c), 20(b), 27, 28, 29 and 35 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Though no drugs were found on Aryan, the state’s lawyers have argued that he knew about the 6g of charas hidden in his friend Arbaaz Merchant’s shoe, amounting to “conscious possession”.
Earlier this week, Shah Rukh Khan was spotted visiting his son in jail, but he’s yet to make a public statement.
Several Bollywood stars including Hrithik Roshan, Twinkle Khanna, and director Hansal Mehta have stepped forward to extend their support towards Khan and his son who they believe are being targeted for being a famous celebrity.