[Aryan Khan drug case] Who are the other accused who have sought bail from Mumbai Sessions Court?

Besides Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, four other persons accused in the cruise ship drug case, have also approached the Sessions Court in Mumbai for bail.

The four accused who have sought bail are Munmun Dhamecha, Arbaaz Merchant, Mohak Jaswal and Nupur Sateja.

While Jaswal and Sateja have approached the Sessions Court in the first instance, Dhamecha and Merchant approached the Sessions Court after their bail plea along with Khan’s was rejected by the Magistrate on Friday.

Jaswal and Sateja are seeking regular bail on the ground that NCB has no evidence so far to prove conspiracy or the fact that there was sale or harbouring.

Merchant is seeking bail on the ground that assuming he had been intercepted with a small quantity of drugs, the same could only indicate it was an offence of consumption which was punishable with upto a year of imprisonment.

Dhamecha has raised fresh grounds alleging that NCB has not arrested two other persons who were present with her in her room when she was approached for interrogation during the raids.

The five accused were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after a raid on October 2, 2021 on a cruise ship enroute to Goa from Mumbai.

The accused were charged with offences under Sections 8(c), 20(b), 27, 27A, 28, 29 and 35 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

The accused had been remanded to NCB custody till October 7, 2021 and were later remanded to judicial custody.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate RM Nerlikar rejected the bail application of Khan, Dhamecha and Merchant, holding that their pleas were not maintainable before the Magistrate as only special court of sessions is entitled to hear the bail plea.

In light of the order, the three accused moved the special court under the NDPS Act seeking bail.

The special NDPS court of sessions has posted all matters for hearing on Wednesday and will begin the hearing with prime accused Aryan Khan’s bail plea.