A lot of people were surprised when Aryan Khan didn’t make bail yesterday after a hearing in a magistrate court in Mumbai. In the build-up to yesterday’s hearing, popular perception was that since the court had acknowledged that Aryan was not found with possession or consumption of drugs, he would easily make bail.

But the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), being represented by the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil C Singh, claimed that Aryan’s bail was not relevant to the jurisdiction of the current court. The court accepted the NCB’s claims and also acknowledged the investigation agency’s need to corroborate further links in the case.

Speaking about these developments and the court refusing bail to Aryan and other accused in the case, an NCB official said, “It is a big win for us, especially after certain elements were discrediting us and blaming the department for arresting an innocent. The court found merit in our case. Even if the bail happens later in the case, we’ve proven our point”.

The officer pointed out that the judiciary’s rejection of bail validates the NCB’s due diligence and process. The officer said, “When the additional chief Metropolitan court rejects any bail, it means it has seen merit in our case. For that reason, it has rejected the bail of all the accused. This will certainly shut the mouth of those criticising us.”

The officer felt that speculations of a political agenda and influence over NCB’s investigation were unfair and unfounded.