Breaking: Mumbai Court To Consider Tomorrow Bail Applications Of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant & Munmun Dhamecha In Cruise Ship Drug Case

A Mumbai Court has on Thursday decided to consider tomorrow bail applications filed by Aryan Khan, son of actor Shahrukh Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha accused in connection with the seizure of drugs on a luxury cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

The Court today rejected further NCB Custody of Aryan Khan, and 7 other accused in the Cruise ship drugs case and remanded them to judicial custody instead.

Additional Metropolitan Magistrate RM Nirlekar was initially inclined to hear the bail applications today itself.

However, ASG Anil Singh at the outset opposed the bail and applications saying that the same are not maintainable and cannot be considered here.

Advocate Satish Maneshinde appearing for Aryan Khan argued that it is a mandate that the interim application has to be decided today.

Advocate Taraq Sayed appearing for Arbaaz Merchant submitted that the punishment for the offences involved is only six months, and the bail applications can therefore be considered by this Court.

The Court then decided to consider the bail applications tomorrow. The accused will be kept in NCB's custody till tomorrow as jail authorities do not admit the accused in the absence of Covid report.

Rejecting the request for further NCB custody, the Court today observed that while there is no doubt that it is NCB's right to claim custody for investigation, simply remanding the accused to NCB custody would violate their fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution.

"No custodial interrogation is required as sufficient time was granted to the investigating officer for investigation," Additional Metropolitan Magistrate RM Nirlekar said.

Edited by: Srishti Ojha