Highlights:
- Shah Rukh Khan came to see Aryan for the first time after his arrest.
- A local court has twice refused Aryan Khan’s bail.
- In the midst of the Covid pandemic, the Maharashtra government has relaxed jail visiting rules.
Shah Rukh Khan went to Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail today to see his son Aryan Khan, who was denied bail yesterday and has been arrested since October 8 in the drugs-on-cruise case.
This was the superstar’s first meeting with his 23-year-old son, who was detained on October 2 after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) stormed a rave party on a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.
#WATCH Actor Shah Rukh Khan reaches Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to meet son Aryan who is lodged at the jail, in connection with drugs on cruise ship case#Mumbai pic.twitter.com/j1ozyiVYBM
— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2021
SRK, 55, was in jailed for around 20 minutes. His visit came after the Maharashtra government relaxed rules on jail visits in the midst of the pandemic.
Aryan Khan has been denied bail twice and has now filed a plea with the Bombay High Court. Today is the last day of his judicial custody.
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On Friday, he had a video conversation with his parents, SRK and Gauri Khan.
A special court refused Aryan Khan bail Thursday, citing his WhatsApp messages as evidence of his involvement in “illicit drug activity.”
Judge VV Patil, in his order, stated, “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.”
The court also stated that the evidence provided shows a “nexus” between Aryan Khan and suppliers and peddlers.
The court ruled that, while no narcotics were found on Aryan Khan, he was aware of six grams of charas concealed in his buddy Arbaaz Merchant’s shoe, which constituted “conscious possession.”
According to the court, “Accused 1 and 2 have known one other for a long time. They travelled together and were caught at the international cruise port together. Furthermore, both of them acknowledged in their voluntary statements that they were possessing the said drug for their own consumption and enjoyment. Thus, all of this indicates that Aryan Khan was aware of contraband concealed by 2 in his shoes.”
While stars like Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan, as well as director Farah Khan, have spoken out in favour of SRK and his son, the film industry’s reaction to the issue has been mostly quiet. The NCB has detained and questioned numerous celebrities in connection with what it refers to as the “Bollywood-drugs” nexus, which arose as a result of the investigations into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June of last year.
