Rhea moves bail plea; claims NCB forced her to confess
What's the story
Actor Rhea Chakraborty has moved a bail plea before the Sessions Court in Mumbai, a day after she was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Chakraborty was arrested for allegedly procuring drugs for her actor boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput, who died earlier in June.
In the bail plea, Chakraborty claimed that she is innocent, and that she was coerced into making self-incriminatory confessions.
Coercion
Chakraborty 'coerced into making confessions'
In the bail plea, Chakraborty alleged that she was coerced into making self-incriminatory confessions during her custody.
The actor was questioned by the NCB at the bureau's office on September 6,7, and 8. The plea mentioned that she was quizzed for a minimum of eight hours at a stretch.
She has retracted all such incriminatory confessions, the plea stated.
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Chakraborty quizzed only by male officers, says plea
The bail application mentioned that Chakraborty was interrogated by male officers. "There was not a single lady officer who interrogated the present applicant as mandated by law," the plea stated, citing Sheela Barse v/s State of Maharashtra reported in All India Reporter 1983 SC 378.
Bailable offense
'Offenses, if any, bailable in nature'
The plea also argued the applicability of charges of Section 27 A of NDPS Act, stating that the offenses have not been made out.
The plea said that "no drugs or psychotropic substances have been seized from the present applicant and the allegations, if any, would pertain strictly to small quantities."
It said the offenses, if any, are bailable in nature.
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Plea claims Chakraborty was 'falsely implicated'
The plea goes on to assert that Chakraborty is innocent and "has not committed any crime whatsoever." It said she has been "falsely implicated." It also claimed that there is a threat to Chakraborty's life if she were to be detained in judicial custody.
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Plea argued threat to Chakraborty's life
The plea stated, "The applicant apprehends serious risk to her life if she were to be unduly detained in judicial custody. The applicant has been at the receiving end of hundreds of death and rape threats for the past several months."
It added, "Given the grave risk to her welfare, the present bail application ought to be decided expeditiously."
Custody
Other arrested accused released on bail, argues plea
The plea argued Chakraborty's mental well-being and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as reasons to not remand her in judicial custody.
The plea also argued grounds of parity, noting that Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora, who were arrested and from whom a collective quantity of 59 grams of ganja was allegedly recovered, have both been released on bail.
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Court to hear bail plea tomorrow
The court will hear the bail application on Thursday, Chakraborty's lawyer said. Earlier, she had been produced before a local court on Tuesday, which rejected her bail plea and sent her to judicial custody till September 22.