Mumbai: Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and five other accused in the drugs-on-cruise case were given a clean chit by a special team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday.
In the chargesheet filed before Special Judge under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, NBC implicated 14 of the 20 accused. It did not proceed against 6 accused, including Aryan, Avin Shahu, Gopalji Anand, Samir Saighan, Bhaskar Aroda and Manav Singha., due to lack of evidence, the Bar & Bench reported.
“SIT carried out its investigation in an objective manner. The touchstone of the principle of proof beyond reasonable doubt has been applied. Based on the investigation carried out by SIT, a complaint against 14 persons under various sections of the NDPS Act is being filed. Complaint against rest 6 persons is not being filed due to lack of sufficient evidence,” a press release by the NCB said.
All the accused persons were found in possession of Narcotics, except Aryan and Mohak Jsawal, read a statement of Sanjay Kumar Singh, DDG (Operations), NCB.
Aryan along with Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha was arrested on October 2, 2021, after the NCB raided a cruise ship en route to Goa from Mumbai. He walked out of the jail on October 30, 2021, about four weeks later, after the HC granted him bail on October 28, 2021.
“No drugs were found with Aryan Khan. During the bail hearing, we had contended that it was a hasty arrest and there was no material to proceed against the young man. The prosecution also found the same. Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan will be very relieved today,” Mukul Rohatgi, Aryan’s lawyer, told the media.
