By Express News Service
MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister and chief spokesperson of NCP Nawab Malik’s son-in-law Sameer Khan got bail after nine months in drug-related case on Monday.
Sameer Khan was arrested on January 9 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with a drugs case. A special court granted bail to him on Monday. The special court also granted bail to co-accused Rahila Furniturewala and Karan Sejnani on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 40,000, respectively.
Khan was arrested by NCB following the arrest of Sejnani, from whom the central agency claimed that a commercial quantity of contraband was recovered.
Khan had sought bail in February, but it was rejected by the special court since the probe was underway. In July, the NCB filed a charge sheet after which Khan and others filed for bail again.
The NCB had said that the accused conspired to procure, sell, purchase and transport 194.6 kg of ganja and six CBD sprays. Chemical analysis reports annexed to the charge sheet state that of the 18 samples sent for forensic probe, eight were negative.
The NCB claimed that the reports showed the presence of over 85 kg of cannabis, which is a commercial quantity.
During the bail hearing, the defence lawyers for the accused contested this claim, arguing that nine of the samples contained constituents of cannabis which do not fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and therefore the accused were entitled to bail.
Khan in his bail plea had argued that the case against him was “completely frivolous” and apart from 7.5 grams of ganja allegedly recovered from Sejnani, none of the 194.6 kgs claimed to have been seized in the case was contraband under the NDPS Act.
Khan’s plea also said that based on the report, the the only charge sustained in the case is for dealing with a small quantity of ganja which has a maximum punishment of one year. It sought for him to be released under provisions of section 436A of the Criminal Procedure Code since he has spent more than half the maximum term in jail since his arrest in January.
