With prosecutor not even appearing, Killa court on Monday granted bail to comedian Bharti Singh and her husband, Haarsh Limbachiyaa
Pic/PTI
The Killa court on Monday granted bail to comedian Bharti Singh and her husband, Haarsh Limbachiyaa, who were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) probing an alleged drug syndicate in Bollywood. The NCB officers and public prosecutor did not appear before the court to oppose the bail application, the court noted.
Bharti Singh and her husband had applied for bail on Sunday after the court refused to grant their custody to NCB for further investigation as the case was of consumption only. The Killa court gave the NCB time to file a reply but no one from the agency was present. "The court has noted that time was given to the public prosecutor and the officers to reply but nobody appeared till 2 pm on Monday," said advocate Ayaz Khan, who appeared for Bharti and her husband.
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Bharti Singh at the NCB office on Saturday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
While granting bail, the court also noted that the case involves a small quantity only for consumption. The court asked the duo to furnish a bail bond of Rs 15,000.
"We argued on the grounds that this is a case where the punishment is up to one year and there is no impediment in granting bail," Khan told mid-day.
Bharti was lodged at the Byculla prison and released on Monday evening around 5.30 pm, while her husband was released from Taloja jail.
Questions have been raised against the NCB arresting people involved in the consumption of small amounts of drugs instead of taking on big drug dealers and those who traffick narcotics in India. "There should be a reformative approach. In this case, the NCB is recording statements for consumption and not even doing a blood test," Khan added.
Rs 15,000 - Value of Bharti and her husband's bail bond
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