[Aryan Khan] NCB Custody will be useful to accused as well to prove their innocence: Mumbai Court

Granting Narcotics Control Bureau the custody of Aryan Khan and other accused in the cruise ship drug case, will be useful not only for the prosecution but also for the accused to prove their innocence, a Mumbai court said in its remand order of October 4 (NCB v. Aryan Khan).

After considering the allegations made against Khan, who is the son of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, and other accused apprehended from the cruise for "suspicious transactions", Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate RM Nerlikar deemed that investigation is necessary to verify the information collected by confronting Khan with co-accused.

In the 6-page order, the Magistrate also observed that other accused who had not been produced with Khan had been accused for possessing drugs of "intermediate quantity" and this fact requires thorough investigation.

"I am of view that the investigation is at initial stage, which is of prime importance, for the reasons stated in the remand report, the presence of the accused with the NCB authorities is necessary for detailed investigation. It will be useful to the prosecution as well as to the accused to prove their innocence. Considering all these aspect, above discussions, the accused are required to be remanded to the NCB custody," the Magistrate recorded in his order.

[Read order]