Aryan Khan drug case: Remand hearing of four accused event organisers [Live Updates]

A Mumbai court will hear at 2.45 pm the plea by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for custody of 4 co-accused in the cruise drug ship case in which Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan is the prime accused.The four accused, the latest to be arrested in the case, are Gopal Anand, Samir Saigal, Manav Singhal and Bhaskar Arora. They were organizers of the event on the cruise..Advocate Harsh Gangurde with Adv Sajal Yadav appear for the accused. Special Public Prosecutor Advait Sethna is appearing for NCB..Adv Sethna: These 4 people are extremely important in this case. As these four people are organisers which led to the event on the ship.1 and 2 are directors of the event management company and while 3 and 4 are people who were directly involved for what happened on the ship. We have invoked 25 and 27A of the NDPS Act..Adv Sethna: Investigation has revealed that all these persons are integral for the organizing on the cruise. The event took place before boarding and after boarding. These persons are important to find out the role of the earlier arrested.There is a debate on how the accused boarded the ship. Whether the boarding passes were given or not will be clear from these accused. Detailed custodial interrogation necessary to find out the nexus with the already arrested. .Adv. Sethna: The shipping officials did not have proper license from the DG shipping. The 12 persons arrested, their nexus and corroboration may be allowed. I am requesting custody till October 14, 2021..Sethna: The organizers are here, face to face confrontation is required for discovery of truth. My learned friend may not argue on the applicability of Sections 25, 27a now.These sections are important because the persons were intercepted before boarding of the ship. The ship still sailed, when it came back to the shore, another raid was conducted and seizures were made. The harbouring factor is brought in here, hence Section 27A was added..Adv Gangurde: We were detained from October 4, and then we were arrested on October 5 and then produced. I am only going to submit that on the illegal detention and not go into the NDPS sections.Our detention and arrest is in clear violation of our fundamental rights. This remand is illegal and we are entitled to be released. Further we are not the organizers, but the contractors..Sethna: Would it be necessary to respond? In my limited tenure, they have taken care to file an application. But they have been careful.. Documents speak for itself.The time if noted.. and we also tried to mention the matter. That would affect the officers. The superintendents are from Delhi, the illegal detention (not conceding) will affect the officers also. They chose to come to the NCB office post notice, they were interrogated and they were arrested. Within 24 hours of arrest as on the memo, we have produced them. We have been extremely careful, and illegal detention has not happened absolutely..Gangurde: They themselves are saying now that I co-operated and came to the office when called upon. Whatever interrogation was required could have been done for 12 hours from October 4, and we could have been produced on October 5, 2021..Sethna: (There are) no malafides.Court: When were accused produced? Sethna: At 1.15 pm.Court (order): The accused were produced at 1.45 pm and because the court was busy, the court stated they be produced at 2.45 pm. The accused were produced at 3.30 pm.NCB seeks custody of the accused. Perused remand report, case diary. Heard special counsel and counsel for accused at length..Order: On claim of arrest of accused not justified in accordance with law, NCB argued that the accused were integral to the cruise on which contraband was seized and it was important to confront with present accused. It was argued that it is important to find out what was found before boarding of ship and after the ship set sail. It is important to find out nexus and role of present with previous accused..Order: Gangurde argued at October 4 at 7 am took control of accused while they were on board. After interrogating, the accused were produced at 12.30 and he was arrested against his wish and his arrest was shown on October 5 at 5.30 pm and produced today..Order: He said it was overriding fundamental rights under Article 21 and 22. There was no contraband found in their possession. Despite accused request, no blood test was carried out and that was breach of fundamental rights..Order: I have gone through submissions of the accused and contents of remand report, wherein they disclose that all accused were arrested, if considered this fact then it appears that all accused were arrested and produced before court at 3.30. Hence, the accused submissions are not useful as it is contrary to arrest memo. The illegal arrest argument is required to be rejected..Order: The NCB custody and the nature of allegations, custody is necessary for interrogation and investigation as to whether the accused is innocent or not..Order: Remand till October 14, 2021.

Aryan Khan drug case: Remand hearing of four accused event organisers [Live Updates]

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