Rhea Chakraborty released from Mumbai prison after being granted bail in drugs case

New Delhi: Actor Rhea Chakraborty on Wednesday walked out of Byculla jail after almost a month. Observing that actress Rhea Chakraborty was not a part of the chain of drug dealers, the Bombay High Court granted her bail in connection with a drug case related to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

The court also directed Chakraborty to submit a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and not to tamper with evidence while out on bail.

The actor, hounded by the media in the past, left in a car with its windows covered with newspapers. It drove through a huge crowd of reporters, cameramen, policemen and others gathered outside the jail.

Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty reaches her residence.

She was granted bail by Bombay High Court in a drug-related case filed against her by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), earlier today. pic.twitter.com/1NPxex0M86

— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2020

Rhea Chakraborty and her brother were among 15 people arrested in early September over allegations of arranging drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead in his Mumbai home on June 14.

A single-judge bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal noted that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant is not guilty of any offence punishable under Sections 19, 24 or 27A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 or any other offence involving commercial quantity. “There are no other criminal antecedents against her. She is not part of the chain of drug dealers. She has not forwarded the drugs allegedly procured by her to somebody else to earn monetary or other benefits. Since she has no criminal antecedents, there are reasonable grounds for believing that she is not likely to commit any offence while on bail,” the bench said.

Taking note of the observation of the special judge who had denied bail expressing concern that the applicant may alert others and evidence can be destroyed by them, the bench said there is no basis for such observations.

The HC bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal also granted bail to Rajput’s aides Dipesh Sawant and Samuel Miranda. However, Rhea’ brother Showik Chakraborty’s bail plea was rejected.

Noting down the condition for Rhea’s bail, the bench said, “Rhea should mark her presence for 10 days in the police station after release, deposit her passport, not travel abroad without court permission and inform the investigating officer if she has to leave Greater Mumbai.”