Bombay high court will hear Aryan Khan’s bail plea on October 26, his lawyers were quoted as saying by ANI. Earlier, it was said that his case will likely to be mentioned before Justice NW Sambre today, seeking urgent hearing. The move came after a Mumbai special court denied Shah Rukh Khan’s son bail in the drugs case filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau. In the morning, Bollywood superstar SRK arrived at Arthur Road jail today to meet son Aryan after prison authorities permitted in-person meeting. Physical meetings will be allowed from today, days after being banned due to Covid protocol. Thursday is Aryan’s 18th day in jail since arrest.

The special NDPS Act court in its 21-page order noted that WhatsApp chats of Aryan Khan prima facie revealed that he was “dealing in illicit drug activities on a regular basis” and therefore it cannot be said that he was not likely to commit a similar offence if released on bail. The NCB had earlier argued in court that Aryan was not new to drugs, though no drug was found on him. The drugs found on Aryan Khan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant were for Aryan and Arbaaz’s personal consumption, they said. However, the defence insisted that the NCB has no grounds to continue to keep the accused in custody since no drugs were recovered from the personal possession of Aryan and that his WhatsApp chats only consisted of messages about football and other related stuff.

The 23-year-old son Bollywood superstar SRK and Gauri along with Arbaaz, model Munmun Dhamecha and five others were detained on October 3 in connection with a drug bust on a cruise liner off the Mumbai coast. Aryan was being represented by advocate Satish Maneshinde in all previous hearings. But from “here on” bulk of the main argument on part of Aryan will be carried forth by advocate Amit Desai, and Maneshinde will only add anything if required, a report in Hindustan Times stated.

On Wednesday, the special court said that the material placed before it by the NCB showed on the face of it that section 29 of the NDPS Act, pertaining to conspiracy, was applicable. Therefore, it is not possible to record a satisfaction at this stage that the applicants have not committed any offence under the NDPS Act, the order said. Case papers and voluntary statements of Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant disclosed that they possessed drugs for consumption and enjoyment, the court noted further.

These things go to show that accused No 1 (Aryan) was having knowledge of the contraband concealed by accused No 2 (Merchant) in his shoes, it said. Although no contraband is found in the possession of accused No 1, six grams of charas was found in possession of accused No 2 of which accused No 1 (Aryan) was having knowledge and thus it can be said that it was in conscious possession of both the accused, the court added.

In Aryan’s WhatsApp chats, there is reference to “bulk quantity and hard drugs” and “there is prima facie material showing that accused No 1 was in contact with persons dealing in prohibited narcotic substances,” the order said. Prima facie it appears that there is a case of conspiracy and abetment as alleged by the prosecution, it said.

Earlier, a magistrate’s court had rejected the accused’s bail pleas, saying only a special court can hear these matters. Khan, Merchant and Dhamecha, among others, were arrested on October 3 for alleged conspiracy, possession, consumption, purchase and trafficking of drugs under the NDPS Act. They are now in judicial custody. While Aryan Khan and Merchant are lodged at the Arthur Road prison, Dhamecha is lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in the city. So far, 20 persons have been arrested in the case.

(With PTI inputs)

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