Rhea tells high court: Sushant didn`t need me to finance drug purchases

It is an admitted fact that Rajput used to consume drugs even before Chakraborty became acquainted with him in April 2019, and two of Rajput's co-stars, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor, have reportedly told NCB that he was consuming drugs since long, he said.

Maneshinde said Showik too was accused of being part of a drug syndicate for allegedly paying petty amounts on three occasions in April for purchasing minuscule amounts of ganja and charas.

The lawyer added that even if one were to go by the allegations levelled by NCB, stringent provisions contained in section 27A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (financing illicit trafficking of drugs or harbouring offenders) were not at all applicable to Chakraborty or Showik.

Maneshinde said NCB's reliance on recovery of commercial quantity of drugs from one Anuj Keshwani and then the claim that Chakraborty and Showik were part of a drug ring cannot be maintained as neither of them had any connection with the alleged drug supplier.

NCB had further alleged that Chakraborty had harboured Rajput who used to consume drugs. Maneshinde contended that during the relevant period, Chakraborty was residing with Rajput in his house and questioned how she could have harboured the late actor in his own house.

Advocate Taraq Sayed, who argued for bail of another accused, Abdel Basit Parihar, submitted that NCB has been claiming to have busted a major drug ring by arresting 18-19 college students. He claimed that almost all accused arrested by NCB in this case come from well-to-do families and cannot be termed drug peddlers or suppliers.

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