Deny bail to Rhea others to send message to society HC told

    (Eds: Adds details, fresh quotes)
    Mumbai, Sep 29 (PTI) Strongly opposing the bail pleas
field by actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, and other
co-accused in a drug case, the NCB told the Bombay High Court
Tuesday a strong message needed to be sent out to the society,
especially youngsters, to ensure they did not consume drugs.
    The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said the siblings
and others arrested were "active members of a drug syndicate"
and vowed to go to the roots of the case, an offshoot of
probe into filmstar Sushant Singh Rajput's death in June.
    Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, who
appeared for the NCB, said a deterrent was required from the
court since, considering the current situation of COVID 19,
and the countrys internal security, we need our youngsters
to take care of their health, and not consume drugs.
    "If young people go on consuming drugs then who will
look after our country. This episode should serve as a lesson
to all, the ASG said.
    And with the present situation of internal and
external conflict in the country... There is pandemic.
This should be a lesson for others.
    "I agree there should be sympathy for the youth. But
those who are involved in this (drugs consumption,
manufacture, procurement etc) must be punished, Singh said.
    The ASG went on to say that the NCB was going to go to
the roots of the present case to ensure the chain of drugs
was broken.
    Considering the overall case and circumstances, I
would submit that this drug abuse has to be controlled in the
country, in all sectors whether college, schools, or,
Bollywood.
    "Our leaders, say our country is dependent on the
young generation, Singh said.
    The ASG was making his submissions before a bench of
Justice Sarang Kotwal who was hearing pleas filed by Rhea,
Showik, and co-accused Samuel Miranda, Dipesh Sawant, both
aides of Rajput, alleged drug dealer Abdul Parihar, and one
Zaid Vilatra.
    All the accused have challenged the orders of a
special NDPS court that had rejected their bail pleas earlier
this month.
    Earlier, during the day long hearing, the NCB had
submitted that there existed ample material to show that Rhea,
Showik, and others arrested in the case, represented a "chain,
an active syndicate that was involved in procuring, financing,
harbouring, and abetting drugs and its consumption".
    Singh said Rhea (28) had knowingly paid for her
boyfriend Rajputs drugs, and had concealed the information
regarding his drug habit.
    These qualified as the stringent charges of financing
and harbouring drug consumption as define under the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act, he said.
    The ASG was referring to the courts query on
application of the stringent section 27A of the NDPS Act in
the case.
    The section deals with financing illicit traffic and
harbouring drug offenders, and entails an imprisonment of up
to ten years. It also carries a bar on grant of bail.
    All the applicants had opposed the slapping of the
section (27A) in the present case.
    Rheas counsel Satish Maneshinde had argued that she
had only occasionally paid for Rajputs drugs and this did not
amount to financing.
    All the accused had also argued that the drugs seized
by the NCB in the case was in small quantity and did not
qualify ascommercial quantity that could attract stringent
sections under the Act.
    The ASG, however, argued that the Act did not
prescribe a quantity for attracting charges of financing and
harbouring.
    This is not the case which is filed individually.
This is a syndicate, Singh said.
    Rhea did not disclose due to fear of arrest. So it is
harbouring. She knew it was illegal but she continued. Giving
shelter is not letting Rajput in her house, it is shelter for
the purpose of protecting from arrest, the ASG said.
    Earlier, during the day, Singh said a case of drugs
was worse than an offence of murder for while the latter
involved just one person or one family, the former related to
the entire society.
    On the applicants argument that the NCB did not have
the jurisdiction to probe the case, the ASG said, It is
nobodys case that Sushant Rajput died of drugs. This case is
not about his death.
    "It might have a five or 10 per cent connection to
Sushant as he used to consume drugs.
    Therefore, while the CBI is probing his death case,
we (NCB) are investigating a case involving drugs, he said.
    The ASG went on to say that while Rajput did not die
of drug abuse, the 34-year-old filmstar did consume drugs.
    And only because the consumer was dead, those who
procured drugs for him could not go scot free", Singh said.
    All counsels for the accused persons, however,
reiterated that all the arguments and judgements that the NCB
had cited to support its case dealt with commercial quantities
of drugs.
    Advocate Taraq Sayed, the counsel for alleged drug
dealer Parihar, said the accused persons should not be used as
pawn to send out a strong message to the society.
    At this stage we should not be used as pawn for
teaching a lesson, Sayed said.
    The HC closed all arguments in the case and reserved
its verdict on the bail pleas. PTI AYA GK
RSY RSY

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)