Bombay HC's verdict on Aryan Khan bail on Tuesday

The Bombay High Court is slated to deliver an order on Aryan Khan's bail plea in the cruise ship drugs case on Tuesday.

Aryan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on October 3 after a dramatic cruise raid wherein at least eight people were detained and drugs seized.

An NDPS court had rejected Aryan's bail plea twice, on October 14 and October 21. Special Judge VV Patil accepted the NCB’s contention that Aryan Khan was a regular consumer of drugs, dealing in narcotics and the case having international links as evident from his WhatsApp chats.

In its October 20 order, the court said: “As argued by learned Additional Solicitor General, from WhatsApp chats of applicant no. 1 (Aryan Khan) it is reflected that he was indulging in illicit drug activities. Respondent (NCB) contended that since all the accused, including accused no. 1 are influential persons they are likely to tamper with evidence of prosecution if released on bail. Respondent claimed that accused no. 1 is in touch with foreign national and other drug dealers who appear to be part of an international drug network and investigations in this regard are going on and the respondent is tracing out the criminal antecedents of said persons.”

Judge Patil also noted that if any of the accused is released on bail, it would tamper the entire investigation.

“During interrogation applicant/accused no. 1 is the only person who could disclose the details of the said persons which are in the exclusive knowledge of accused no. 1,” the order said.

After this, Aryan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde moved the Bombay High Court, challenging Judge Patil's verdict, for an urgent hearing. In his plea to the court, Aryan has said the NCB was "misinterpreting" his WhatsApp chats to implicate him in the case of seizure of banned drugs aboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast earlier this month.

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