The Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, relaxed Aryan Khan’s bail conditions and ruled that he need not appear before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), every Friday, in relation to the cruise ship drug raid case, according to a Live Law report.
The order followed Khan’s application last week, that sought modification to his bail conditions after the investigation was transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB branch in Delhi.
Khan’s plea cited difficulties that he faced during his visits to the NCB office in Mumbai, including being accosted by the media, which was present every time he appeared to mark his attendance.
However, Khan will have to present himself before SIT Delhi, as and when required, provided a prior notice of 72 hours is given, noted Justice Nitin Sambre.
The 24-year-old was arrested on October 3 by the NCB during a cruise ship drug raid based on a tip-off. The agency allegedly seized 13 gm of cocaine, 21 gm of charas or hashish, 22 pills of MDMA (ecstasy), 5 gm mephedrone, and cash worth Rs 1.33 lakh, and Khan was taken into NCB custody, along with a few others, including his friend Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha.
Khan, along with two other accused, was granted bail on October 28 and 13 bail conditions which included weekly Friday visits to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office were set out.
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Recently, Khan was also interrogated for hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the NCB. He was questioned about the circumstances under which he boarded the cruise, his links to drug suppliers, and about his peer group and their drug-related habits and preferences. Khan was also asked if he had planned to do drugs onboard the cruise.
Further, the SIT team asked Khan about his WhatsApp chats that were cited by Sameer Wankhede’s team in court while opposing his bail. Wankhede and his team had claimed in court during every hearing that Khan had “incriminating” WhatsApp chats that indicated consumption of drugs as well as the purchase of larger quantities.