Mumbai:

Shah Rukh Khan today visited Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail to meet with his son Aryan Khan, who was denied bail yesterday and has been in jail since October 8 in the drugs-on-cruise case.

This was the first meeting between the superstar and his 23-year-old son, who was arrested after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a rave party on a cruise ship off Mumbai on October 2.

SRK, 55, spent around 20 minutes at the jail. His visit followed the Maharashtra government easing restrictions on jail visits amid the pandemic.

Aryan Khan has been denied bail twice and has now approached the Bombay High Court. His judicial custody ends today.

He had spoken with his parents, SRK and Gauri Khan, on a video call on Friday.

A special court yesterday denied Aryan Khan bail saying his WhatsApp chats appeared to reveal his involvement in “illicit drug activities”.

“WhatsApp chats prima facie reveals accused Aryan Khan is dealing in illicit drug activities for narcotic substances on regular basis. Therefore, it cannot be said that Khan is not likely to commit similar offence while on bail,” Judge VV Patil said in his order.

The court also said that the material placed on record points to a “nexus” between Aryan Khan and suppliers and peddlers.

The court said that though no drugs were found on Aryan Khan, he knew about six grams of charas hidden in his friend Arbaaz Merchant’s shoe, and this amounted to “conscious possession”.

“Accused 1&2 are friends since long. They travelled together and they were apprehended together at the international cruise terminal. Further, in their voluntary statements, both of them disclosed that they were possessing the said substance for their consumption and for enjoyment. Thus, all these things go to show that Aryan Khan was having knowledge of contraband concealed by 2 in his shoes,” the court said.

While stars like Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan, and director Farah Khan have come out in support of SRK and his son, the film industry has been largely muted in its response to the case.

Over the past year, the NCB has arrested and questioned several celebrities on what it calls the “Bollywood-drugs” nexus that emerged as an offshoot of the investigations into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June last year.