Drugs-on-cruise case: Aryan Khan walks out of jail after nearly 4 weeks

The HC had granted bail to Aryan Khan, 25 days after he was arrested during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast

Amid the beating of drums and bursting of firecrackers, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan returned home on Saturday after nearly four weeks behind bars.

Aryan walked out of the Arthur Road prison at Chinchpokli at 1100 hrs and straight entered into the car which sped away.

SRK's bodyguard Ravi Singh was there outside the Arthur Road jail to receive Aryan and ensure that he is away from the media.

Also Read | Cruise drugs case: NDPS court grants bail to 7 more accused

In around 40 minutes, he reached Mannat, the palatial bungalow of SRK and Gauri Khan in Bandra.

At home, he was welcomed by the couple and their two other kids - daughter Suhana and son AbRam.

The 23-year-old Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) during the 2-3 October raid on Cordelia cruise ship.

Also Read | It feels like heaven: Shah Rukh Khan fans cheer as Aryan returns home

On Friday, Justice Nitin Sambre of the Bombay High Court granted him bail - after two attempts to secure bail failed - first from the Esplanade Magistrate Court and then Special NDPS Court.

Aryan should have been released on Friday, however, since the formalities took time, he could not walk out of the high-security undertrial prison.

The legal team of Aryan spearheaded by senior advocate Satish Maneshinde - put the bail papers and release orders and the jamanat-peti or dropbox of the jail, which was opened at 0530 hrs in the morning.

Also Read | Fans welcome Aryan Khan with dhol and tashas

A total of 20 accused were arrested in the case.

The Bombay High Court besides Aryan had also granted bail to his friend Arbaaz, a special media influencer and son of senior lawyer Aslam Merchant and designer-model Munmun Dhamecha.

A lot of SRK fans assembled outside the Arthur Road prison even as some fans outside Mannat came with ‘dhols” and welcomed the star-sun with drum beats.

Also Read | Mumbai drugs bust case likely to be handed over to NIA: Report

Some of the fans carried banners like “Stay Strong Aryan Khan” to welcome the junior Khan.

On Tuesday, the Special NDPS Court had granted bail to Manish Rajgaria and Avin Sahu, two accused who hails from Odisha.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the NDPS Court granted bail to seven more accused Nupur Satija, Gomit Chopra, Gopalji Anand, Samir Sehgal, Manav Singhal and Bhaskar Arora.

Meanwhile, SRK is in constant legal consultations with the battery of lawyers on how to formulate the defence in the case.

On Thursday, Justice Nitin Sambre of the Bombay High Court had granted him bail after two attempts to secure bail failed — first from the Esplanade Magistrate Court and then Special NDPS Court.

Aryan should have been released on Friday, but could not walk out as the formalities took a long time to get completed.

The 23-year-old's legal team, spearheaded by senior advocate Satish Maneshinde put the bail papers and release orders in the jamanat-peti or dropbox of the jail, which was opened at 05:30 am on Saturday morning.

Also Read | It feels like heaven: Shah Rukh Khan fans cheer as Aryan returns home

A total of 20 accused were arrested in the case.

Besides Aryan, the Bombay High Court had also granted bail to his friend Arbaaz, a media influencer and son of senior lawyer Aslam Merchant and designer-model Munmun Dhamecha.

A number of SRK fans assembled outside the Arthur Road prison even as some standing outside Mannat came with ‘dhols' and welcomed the star's son with drum beats.

On Tuesday, the Special NDPS Court had granted bail to Manish Rajgaria and Avin Sahu, two accused who hail from Odisha.

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(With PTI inputs)