Aryan exonerated in drugs on cruise case

NEW DELHI: The Cordelia drugs bust case may have well reached an anticlimactic end on Friday with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) clearing Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and five others; filing cases against 14 others, but maintaining that it was an “ordinary drugs case” not a conspiracy as was made out; and admitting that the legal procedures were not followed while conducting the raid, or recording witness statements or collecting evidence.

Shortly after, the Union government asked for the initiation of action against Sameer Wankhede, the controversial and highprofile zonal director of NCB at the time of the investigation, for the way it was carried out. Aryan Khan spent seven days in NCB custody and a further 21 days in jail.

HT first reported on March 2 that the Special Investigation Team set up by NCB to take over the case, found that Aryan Khan was innocent. The SIT, under NCB’s deputy director general (DDG), Sanjay Kumar Singh was reinvestigating the case for past seven months after allegations surfaced that attempts were made to extort money from Aryan Khan.

“SIT carried out its investigation in an objective manner. The touchstone of the principle of proof beyond reasonable doubt has been applied. Based on the investigation carried out by SIT, a complaint (charge sheet) against 14 persons under various sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act is being filed. Complaint against rest six persons is not being filed due to lack of sufficient evidence,” the agency said.

“We haven’t found any evidence to corroborate that he (Aryan) consumed, procured or was part of any conspiracy, including international syndicate.”

— SN PRADHAN, NCB director general