Rhea Chakraborty was arrested on September 9th, 2020 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on drug-related allegations of financing and procuring illegal drugs for her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput prior to his death. The NCB held that Rhea was a part of an “active drug syndicate”.
However, Bombay High Court on September 6th, 2020 granted Rhea bail and trashed seemingly most charges against her. The court held – neither is she a drug dealer nor has she sold drugs to somebody for monetary purposes.
A single bench of Justice Sarang V. Kotwal allowed Rhea’s bail and explained why the court will be dismissing most charges against her.
According to the case filed by NCB, Rhea Chakraborty was accused of financing procurement of drugs for Rajput. On the same charge, the judge said, “I am unable to agree with the submission that giving money to another for consuming drugs would mean encouraging such a habit and would mean “financing” or “harboring” as envisaged under Section 27A of the NDPS Act.”
Further, the judge using the definition in Black Law’s dictionary attested that providing money for a certain transaction doesn’t mean financing that particular activity.
“Financing will have to be interpreted to mean to provide funds for either making that particular activity operational or for sustaining it. The allegations against the applicant of spending money in procuring drugs for Sushant Singh Rajput will not, therefore, mean that she had financed illicit traffic,” said the judge.
Last evening, Rhea Chakraborty walked out of Byculla jail after almost a month in judicial custody. Her brother Showik, however, is still not out. Thanking god Sandhya Chakraborty, Rhea’s mother reacted to the news saying, “What she has gone through… how will she heal from this? But she is a fighter and she must be strong.” Rhea’s mother Sandhya, is a former schoolteacher and now a homemaker.
Talking about her son Showik, Sandhya said, “My son is still behind bars and I’m paranoid about what tomorrow will bring.” When asked about how the family has been holding up all this while, Sandhya revealed that at one point she thought the only way to end it was by ending her life.
Source: India Times
