A special NDPS court has granted actor Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik Chakraborty bail in the drug case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) which was linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The ruling comes three months after the 24-year-old was arrested on 4 September on allegations that he was in touch with drug dealers and supplied drugs to the late actor who died by suicide on 14 June.
Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant Singh Rajput's house manager Samuel Miranda and his cook Dipesh Sawant were also arrested in connection with the case. The Bombay High Court granted Rhea bail in October but rejected Showik's application. In early November, Showik filed another bail application before a special NDPS court citing a recent Supreme Court ruling which held that statements made before NCB officers cannot be considered as a confession. He has claimed that in light of the ruling, there is no reason to keep him behind bars.
Showik Chakraborty's bail plea, filed through lawyer Satish Maneshinde, said that no drug was recovered from his possession and the NCB’s only evidence was the statements of the co-accused. It added that these statements cannot be admissible evidence after the SC ruled that NCB officers are to be considered “police officers” and hence, all statements recorded by them under Section 67 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cannot be considered confessions.
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