Bombay high court to hear Rhea Chakraborty’s bail plea today; NCB opposes saying she is ‘prominent member of drug syndicate’

The Bombay high court will take up the bail applications filed by Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik Chakraborty on Tuesday. Both of them have been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case linked to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

Chakraborty’s earlier application for bail was rejected by a special court and she was remanded to 14-day judicial custody. That custody was later extended till October 6.

While arguing in the court, Chakraborty’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said that the investigation of offence lodged under the NDPS ought to have transferred to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the as per Supreme Court’s order.

He said that the central government has empowered CBI to investigate Rajput’s death so the NCB has no jurisdiction.

Replying to the bail application, the NCB said that it has the jurisdiction to investigate the case against her and several others, including her brother Showik.

The agency further said that the Supreme Court has directed the CBI to take over investigation, if any new case was registered “on the death of Sushant Singh Rajput and the surrounding circumstances of his unnatural death” and the direction “was not with respect to the present case” registered under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

NCB reiterated it’s stand that Rhea was “an active member of the drug syndicate connected with high society personalities and drug suppliers.” In this regard the reply to her bail plea states that the “Applicant (Rhea) has in her statement (recorded by NCB) revealed about her involvement in procurement of drugs and financing of illicit drug dealings.”

“The present applicant is prominent member of supply chain of drugs and majorly she is handling finance also,” states that affidavit. “The present applicant used to manage, finance for drug procurement along with Sushant Singh Rajput,” NCB has said while opposing Rhea’s bail plea.

Chakraborty, 28, was arrested by the federal agency on September 9. According to the NCB, Rhea and Showik financed and arranged drugs for Rajput at his instructions.

The NCB started its investigation after receiving official communication from Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

Chakraborty has said that she is innocent, falsely implicated in the case, and was coerced into making “self-incriminatory” confessions by the NCB.