The son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was denied bail 18 days after he was arrested on charges of using recreational drugs at a party.
Aryan Khan, 23, was disembarked from a cruise ship en route from the city of Mumbai to the state of Goa on 2 October.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has charged him under laws “relating to the possession, use and sale of illegal substances.”
He denied the charges against him.
His lawyer Satish Manshinde repeatedly told the court that no drugs were found in the possession of the actor’s son and that there was “no evidence that he had used drugs”.
But on Wednesday a Mumbai court rejected her bail for a second time. He had previously refused bail on 8 October. The court also rejected bail requests from two other accused in the case.
In a previous hearing, the prosecution had argued that it was necessary to take a “serious view” of drug use among young people. He further stated that Aryan Khan could not be treated differently from the other 17 accused in the case and therefore should not be released on bail.
NCB officials raided the cruise ship on October 2, claiming they were informed of the presence of drugs on board. Aryan Khan was searched and interrogated before boarding the ship and eventually taken into custody by the NCB.
He was arrested the following day. He was initially in custody at the NCB office but was later transferred to a prison.
The case dominated the media headlines. Although there have been no official statements from Shah Rukh Khan, some Bollywood personalities have defended Aryan Khan. Experts have also criticized what is said to be “excessive media gaze” around his arrest.
- The “excessive” look of the media on the son of the star after the drug arrest
- Girlfriend at the “media trial” for the death of the Bollywood star
Many Bollywood actors and TV personalities have been scrutinized since last year in what appears to be an investigation into claims of widespread drug use in the Hindi film industry. In 2020, the narcotics agency questioned at least four actresses, including Deepika Paduokone, but none were charged with any wrongdoing.
They also arrested actress Rhea Chakraborty in September last year on suspicion of buying drugs for her actor boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.
Rajput, 34, was found dead in his apartment on June 14. Police at the time said he had committed suicide. But the case took an unexpected turn when his family accused Chakraborty of aiding and abetting suicide, sparking months of media coverage and speculation. Chakraborty, who had denied any wrongdoing, was released from prison a month after her arrest.
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