The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Thursday sought time before the Bombay High Court to reply to bail pleas filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik in connection with a drug case after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput .
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the NCB, told a single Bench of justice SV Kotwal that he had not received a copy of the bail applications and that he needed time to file a reply.
To which, advocate Satish Maneshinde, for the Chakrabortys, said he had served a copy twice to the NCB and that he could also serve it to the ASG directly. He also questioned the jurisdiction of the agency to probe the matter as the Supreme Court had ruled on August 19 that all investigation in Sushant’s death case have to be transferred to the CBI.
Mr. Maneshinde started arguing that sections under which Ms. Chakraborty had been charged were bailable and section 27A (punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) of the Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act applied was not applicable. The embargo on bail under section 37 of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act applied to commercial quantities only and the offences in relation to Ms. Chakraborty, at worst, were of small quantity.
Mr Singh urged the court to take up hearing on September 29 along with bail pleas filed by other accused in the case – Sushant’s house manager Samuel Miranda, Sushant’s cook Dipesh Sawant and alleged drug peddler Abdul Perihar.
The court then directed Mr. Maneshinde to apprise the court on which sections applied to both his clients are bailable and non-bailable and directed Mr. Singh to file an affidavit on the facts of the case and questions of law. The matter will be heard on September 29.
Meanwhile, the NDPS court on Thursday allowed the NCB to visit Chakraborty and Mr. Sawant at the Taloja Central jail.
