Cruise drugs case
Mumbai, Oct 28: Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was on Thursday granted bail by the Bombay High Court, 25 days after his arrest by the NCB in the case of seizure of banned drugs aboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast earlier this month, a drugs bust that triggered a series of controversies and put the central agency and its officials under the spotlight.
However, Aryan Khan is not likely to walk out of the Arthur Road jail, where he is currently lodged under judicial custody, immediately as the court is yet to give its operative order on the conditions imposed while granting bail.
A single bench of Justice N W Sambre also granted bail to his co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. The HC’s order granting bail to Aryan Khan was hailed by several film personalities, while a huge group of fans gathered outside the superstar’s sea-facing bungalow ‘Mannat’ in suburban Bandra in show of solidarity and celebrate end of his incarceration.
Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, who has been targeting the NCB, especially its zonal director in Mumbai Sameer Wankhede, over the cruise drugs bust episode, posted a cryptic message after the bail order and continued his tirade against the IRS officer.
Tweeting in Hindi, Malik, who in the past had termed the drugs case as ‘bogus’, said, “Picture abhi baaki hai (The picture is not over yet).” Outside the court premises, Arbaaz’s father Aslam Merchant, a lawyer by profession, welcomed the decision, but said his son and Aryan Khan have undergone an agony of “34,560 minutes in jail”.
“My son and even Aryan, who is like my son, have been traumatized. Now, when our kids are on that side of the wall we understand the plight of several others and what is agony,” Aslam Merchant, a lawyer by profession.
“All three applications are allowed. I will pass detailed orders by tomorrow evening,” Justice Sambre said even as Aryan Khan’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi was putting forth his arguments.
Aryan Khan’s advocates then sought permission to submit cash bail to which the court refused and said surety is to be given. Hearing on their bail applications started on Tuesday.
“I could have given the order tomorrow also. But I gave it today,” Justice Sambre said. The legal team of the 23-year-old Aryan Khan will now try to complete the formalities for his release by Friday or Saturday. (PTI)
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