As actor Rhea Chakraborty is out of jail, Rajdeep Sardesai speaks to top lawyers who criticise NCB for “stretching” the drugs case linked to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death “too far.”
Actor Rhea Chakraborty has been granted conditional bail. (Photo: PTI)
Actor Rhea Chakraborty is out of jail after about a month. The Bombay High Court granted her conditional bail as many of the serious charges, including drug financing, against her seemed to have fallen apart. The court, however, rejected the bail plea of her brother, Showik Chakraborty.
On his show News Today at 9, India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai spoke to top lawyers who criticised NCB for “stretching” the drugs case linked to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death “too far.”
Rhea’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said, “After the Mumbai Police didn’t find anything against Rhea, she was hounded by Patna Police, CBI, ED and NCB. But she has stood steadfast. No agency has found anything against her.”
When asked if the bail order is a rap on NCB’s knuckles, senior Supreme Court advocate CA Sundaram said, “It’s in fact a slap on NCB’s face. It’s extreme for a court to go into such detailing in a bail order. There was so little in the complaint. She procured drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput. She wasn’t a supplier.”
But why did NCB act in such a manner? Criminal lawyer Rizwan Merchant said there was no material against Rhea but NCB took advantage of the fact that they cannot be acted against because they are deemed to have acted in good faith.
What next if NCB hasn’t acted in good faith? Satish Maneshinde said, “I will go after each officer who hounded my client if I find material which I suspect is not enough.”
When asked if NCB tried to fix Rhea by applying non-bailable sections of the NDPS Act? Former NCB head BV Kumar said, “It’s an outstanding order. Probably Rhea procured drugs for Sushant so that he can return to normal. It’s not financing. She didn’t do so for monetary benefits. NCB seemed to be under pressure from somewhere. What it did was farfetched.” “If officers have acted in a vexatious manner, they can be prosecuted,” he added.
So, is the bail order a wake-up call for agencies? CA Sundaram said, “I’m very sorry to say that this is not new. The Supreme Court has called CBI a caged parrot. It’s clear that NCB should be looking into bigger issues.”