After a special court in Mumbai postponed its bail request on Thursday, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan will stay in jail. Aryan Khan was apprehended aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai in connection with the seizure of illegal narcotics. On October 20, the court is expected to decide on the bail pleas. During the hearing, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said that Khan had been a habitual user of illegal drugs for the previous few years. Khan’s lawyer, Advocate Amit Desai, contended that he was impacted by drug misuse as an end consumer, citing the government’s national strategy on narcotics substances.
Declaring that the international convention has decided that drug trafficking and drug addiction should be treated seriously by all countries since they harm society, the nation, and the globe, NCB’s lawyer, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, said he disagrees with the idea that children’s involvement should be taken into account while providing bail. The argument was made that they were young guys, that they were children. And it might be one of the factors in granting bail. This does not sit well with me. You are the generation of the future. This generation will be responsible for the entire country.
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However, Desai, representing Aryan Khan, alluded to the government’s national strategy on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, noting that the policy itself mentions being attentive to children in schools and colleges and taking a different approach with peddlers. He further stated that the Bombay High Court had not agreed with the argument that celebrities should be punished harshly, noting that they are equal before the law, citing a Bombay High Court ruling. On the other side, the National Crime Bureau stated that it is a conspiracy case rather than a stage of bail.
According to Desai, a consumer is at the bottom of the drug chain and is a person who is affected by the drug epidemic. According to the government’s national strategy on narcotic drugs, you’re a victim of the drug epidemic. Instead of attempting to reform you, I’ll arrest you and imprison you for an unknown period.
The NCB denied Aryan’s bail request on Wednesday, ten days after being detained with his buddy Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmum Dhamecha. The NCB said that the investigation thus far has shown his participation in the plot and the unlawful acquisition and use of narcotics. The NCB also stated that Aryan Khan was in contact with several people who seemed to be part of an international drug network for drug acquisition. Financial transactions conducted abroad are being investigated further, according to the agency. The inquiry will take enough time to approach the relevant foreign agency, according to the affidavit.
The NCB further stated in the affidavit that each of the accused’s cases could not be evaluated individually or separately since a prima facie investigation indicates that all accused, including Aryan Khan, have a close link/nexus for conspiracy to commit crimes. Aryan Khan’s lawyer claimed the NCB’s charges of “illicit drug trafficking” against him are “inherently ridiculous,” and that a reformative approach is needed because his client has already suffered enough. Desai said that the phrase “illicit drug trafficking” was being used against Aryan, even though no drugs or other materials were found.
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He went on to say that the NCB’s main claim to fame is that a little quantity of 6 grammes of charas was discovered on Merchant. According to Desai, the NCB has sought to create the impression that there is an “intrinsic link” between Aryan and the other people detained in the case.
According to NCB’s Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, Aryan’s WhatsApp messages reportedly reveal a discussion with a foreign national about large quantities of hard narcotics, which could not have been for personal consumption alone. Singh informed the court, “We are looking with the Ministry of External Affairs to see if we can identify the individual to do further inquiry.” He went on to say that the fact that no drugs were found on Aryan was “inconsequential,” because he is charged with conspiracy and previous discussions indicate that he has been using narcotics in recent years.
