A Mumbai court on Friday denied bail to Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan and producer Gauri Khan, in the case related to the seizure of drugs onboard a cruise ship. While several celebrities came out in support of Khan, several also trended the hashtag #SendAryanKhanToJail.
Twitter, in fact, saw people trending hashtags #SendAryanKhanToJail and #ReleaseAryanKhan at the same time while his bail plea hearing was ongoing.
Following the arrest, several people even showed their disappointment over the fact that Khan was sent to judicial custody while other serious crimes are neglected in the country. “So… under arrest. And no bail. How many people did he kill? How many died? How many were run over by his car??… Tell us,” actor Simi Garewal tweeted referring to the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, wherein allegedly the son of UP’s Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra ran his car over protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri district, killing four.
Professor of Peace and Conflict Research Ashok Swain wrote, “No arrest for Ashish Mishra after killing 4 protesting Sikh farmers because he is Ajay Mishra’s son. No bail for Aryan Khan after 6 days in jail for 13g cocaine because he is Shahrukh Khan’s son. The state of rule of law in the so-called world’s largest democracy!”
Journalist Vir Sanghvi also reacted to the bail, and wrote, “It is now clear that lower courts will routinely deny bail at the urging of the authorities. By the time High Courts intervene and grant bail, the accused have spent needless days in custody. Shouldn’t the CJI issue guidelines on when bail is to be granted?”
But social media also saw many people hailing the judgement of the court and showing their respect to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
Meanwhile, reportedly, coaching company Byju’s has paused its association with Shah Rukh Khan, who is the face of their brand. The startup’s decision comes after facing backlash on social media platforms after Khan’s son got arrested in the drugs case.
On the other hand, several celebrities like Hrithik Roshan, Johny Lever, Raveena Tandon, Pooja Bhatt, Suniel Shetty, Farah Khan, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, and others extended their solidarity and support towards Khan and his family.
Aryan Khan is currently serving his 14 days of judicial custody in Arthur Road jail. His lawyer can file for a bail application at the sessions court on October 11.
