Rhea Chakraborty charged in drug case involving late actor Sushant Rajput

Actor Rhea Chakraborty was charged on Wednesday (13 July) in a drug case involving late actor Sushant Singh Rajput by the Indian anti-drugs agency.

The Narcotics Control Bureau in its draft charges claimed that Rhea has received multiple deliveries of ganja from the co-accused, including her brother Showik, which were handed over to Rajput, reports India.

The draft charges were filed last month in the Special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Court against 35 accused, including Rhea, in the high-profile investigation launched after Sushant Singh's death in 2020.

As per the draft charges, all the accused entered into criminal conspiracy between March 2020 and December that year with each other or in groups to procure, purchase, sell and distribute drugs in "high society and Bollywood".

It also said the accused had financed drug trafficking and consumed ganja, charas, cocaine and other narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances without valid license, permit or authorisation within the Mumbai Metropolitan region.

The draft charges maintained that "accused number 10 Rhea Chakroborty received many deliveries of ganja from accused Samuel Miranda, Showik, Dipesh Sawant and others and handed over those deliveries to the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput". She made payments for those deliveries at the instance of Showik and the late actor between March 2020 and September that year, it added.

As per the draft charges, Rhea's brother Showik was in regular touch with drug peddlers and had received many deliveries from co-accused after placing orders of ganja and hashish/charas. These deliveries were handed over to Rajput. The filing of draft charges sets the tone for the framing of charges, following which the trial begins. However, before framing of charges, the court will have to first decide on the discharge pleas of the accused.

Rhea Chakraborty was arrested in the drug case in September 2020 and was granted bail by the Bombay High Court a month later. Besides Rhea, her brother Showik Chakraborty and several others are also arraigned as accused in the case, with most of them currently out on bail.

The NCB began its probe into alleged drug use in the film and television industry following the death of Rajput on 14 June, 2020.