A team of Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) visited Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s house ‘Mannat’. An NCB official said that the visit was to give a formal notice saying if Aryan Khan has any other electronic devices, they are to be handed over to the NCB for investigation. Recently, Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, was arrested on 3rd October from a rave party on the cruise ship Cordelia. The cruise was on its way from Mumbai to Goa when NCB raided it. Since then, Shah Rukh Khan’s son has been under arrest at a high-security Arthur Road undertrial prison.

Bail Plea and the courtroom observations

The bail plea has been rejected by Esplanade magistrate court and the special NDPS court. The special court denied bail to Aryan Khan, observing that he was involved in “illicit drug activities on a regular basis”. The court also observed that Aryan Khan had a nexus with drug peddlers and suppliers on the basis of his WhatsApp chats. The court observed that Aryan Khan had prior knowledge of the contraband being present with his friend Arbaaz Merchant. The contraband was, allegedly, to be consumed by them later.

 The Bombay High court has posted the application plea for bail to be heard on 26th October. “The hearing would be on Tuesday (26th October),” said Aryan’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde to the media. Satish Maneshinde is a famous lawyer who has appeared for a number of Bollywood celebrities including Sanjay Dutt in his 1993 Bombay blast case, Rhea Chakraborty in the “abetment to suicide” case of Sushant Singh Rajput, Salman Khan in the 2002 drunk driving case, etc.

Along with Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, son of businessman Aslam Merchant, and Model Munmun Dhamecha were also arrested by the NCB from the cruise ship Cordelia. The NCB reported to have found “6 grams of charas” hidden in the shoes of Arbaaz Merchant. So far 20 people have been arrested in the “Cruise rave party” case. All the accused have been booked under the stringent Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS),1985. If you have sustained any injuries during the cruise, you can seek assistance from Aronfeld Trial Lawyers’ cruise ship accident attorney.

Summons to Ananya Pandey

In the related case, NDPS has also summoned Ananya Pandey, alias Ananya Panday, for questioning. She was summoned on the basis of chats found on Aryan’s phone by the NCB. The chats showed Ananya and Aryan Khan discussing drugs before the “cruise rave party”. Ananya Pandey has reached the office of NCB and is currently undergoing questioning.

Ananya Pandey ,22, is the daughter of Bollywood actor Chunky Pandey and Bhavna Pandey. She made her Bollywood debut in 2019 with the movie “Student of the year 2”. She is said to be the best friend of Aryan’s sister and Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan and is often seen with her.

Timeline of the case

October 3,2021-NCB raids cruise ship Cordelia and takes 8 people under custody including Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha.

October 11,2021-The lawyers of the accused move a special NDPS court in Mumbai for bail. The special court sets 14^th of October as the date of hearing.

October 14,2021-NCB, in the hearing, stated that Aryan Khan has been a regular user of the contraband in the past years. Mumbai special court reserves its order.

October 20,2021– The Mumbai special court rejected Aryan Khan’s bail plea along with the bail plea of Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha. The court said that Aryan Khan’s case amounts to conscious possession of the contraband as he had the knowledge of his friend carrying the substance. The court further relied on the chats submitted to it by the NCB from Aryan Khan’s phone.

October 21,2021– Shah Rukh Khan meets his son Aryan Khan and is seen in public first time since the arrest of Aryan Khan. NCB visits Shah Rukh Khan’s home “Mannat”. NCB also summons Ananya Panday on the basis of the chats discussing drugs with Aryan Khan.