The Supreme Court of India, on Thursday, March 18th, told the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that it would have to challenge the Bombay High Court order granting bail to actor Rhea Chakraborty in a drug-related case.
The court further revealed that the petition filed by NCB is not proper and they should improve it. The judges were concerned that the NCB has challenged the other things said by the High Court without directly challenging the bail.
A bench headed by Chief Justices S A Bobde and V Ramasubramanian was hearing an appeal by the Central Government challenging the order of Bombay High Court granting bail to Rhea Chakraborty in cases registered against her under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for NCB, claimed that the High Court order would render the NDPS Act “meaningless”. He said, “We know you will not interfere in the grant of bail. But my worry is Bombay High Court has made wide-ranging interpretation of NDPS Act which will make the Act meaningless.”
Chief Justice of India A S Bopanna “You cannot challenge the bail order observations without challenging the bail order itself.” On this, the court postponed the hearing, saying that the matter should be put up on Monday.
The Bombay High Court had granted bail to Rhea Chakraborty, on October 7th last year and directed her to deposit a personal bond of Rs. 1 lakh. However, Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty’s bail plea was rejected. Rhea, her brother, and other accused were arrested in September last year by the NCB in connection with its probe into the drugs angle related to the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.
Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14 last year.
