Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty, who has long been embroiled in the controversial case surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput`s death, received major relief from the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. The HC has reportedly directed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to return the actress`s passport, thus easing her bail conditions.
Bombay HC orders NCB to return passports
For the unversed, Rhea was arrested in the drug case back in 2020 following the sudden and tragic demise of her then-boyfriend, Sushant Singh Rajput. However, she was granted bail the following month with the condition that she submit her passport to the NCB.
Rhea has recently filed a fresh application through her lawyer, Ayaz Khan. The advocate argued that the condition to submit her passport led to delays in Rhea`s work, and that she had even missed several projects owing to the lack of a passport. He further pointed out that Rhea has complied with all the conditions of her bail so far, and that she never violated any court orders. Khan also emphasised that given the nature of her work, she is often required to travel abroad for shooting, auditions, and even meetings.
On the other hand, NCB opposed Rhea`s petition, saying that being a celebrity should not entitle someone to any special privileges. They even warned the court of the risk of the accused fleeing.
However, Justice Neela Gokhale mentioned that the other accused in the case had also been given a similar relief. The court further noted that Rhea had, in fact, cooperated during the trial, returned after every foreign trip, and had never violated the conditions of her bail.
Court`s conditions
The court has thus returned Rhea`s passport with the conditions that she must provide NCB with an active mobile number, appear before the trial court on each given date, and cooperate in the speedy disposal of the pending case. In addition to this, Rhea must inform the prosecution agency before travelling abroad, and also provide them with her full travel itinerary at least four days before departure, including hotel and flight details of her intended travel. She has also been instructed to provide her phone number to the prosecution agency and keep her phone switched on at all times, and to notify the agency upon her return to India.
(With inputs from IANS)
