Clear medical tests, no drugs found in possession: A timeline of Aryan Khan's involvement in drugs bust case

Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan will now remain in jail till October 20, after the special NDPS court reserved the order on his bail plea for Wednesday (October 20). Aryan Khan's involvement in the NCB drugs bust case on the Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship in Mumbai has been complicated and tedious. The investigating officer and the NCB have said no illegal drugs were recovered from Khan during the raid. The NCB seized 13 grams of cocaine, 5 grams of MD, 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA (ecstasy) and Rs 1.33 lakh in cash from multiple people. One of them was Arbaaz Merchant, a friend of Aryan who was travelling with him.  

Here is a timeline of the events since the raid on the cruise party: 

October 3, 2021: NCB raids the Cordelia Cruises' Empress ship on October 2 and arrests Aryan Khan on suspicion of consumption of drugs. Arbaaz Merchant, an actor, and Munmun Dhamecha, a model, are also arrested.The case is heard by Magistrate RK Rajebhosale and Aryan is sent to one-day NCB custody. Aryan and 7 others are taken for medical tests. 

October 4: Aryan is presented in Mumbai's Esplanade court for his first bail hearing. His lawyer Satish Maneshinde argued in court that no drugs were found on Aryan and that all his medical tests had come out clear.The prosecution asked for an extension of NCB’s custody for further questioning.They argued that Aryan’s WhatsApp chats show links of a global drug chain and had incriminating material.The court sent Aryan and co-accused to NCB custody till October 7.

October 7: A Mumbai court sent Aryan, Arbaaz and Munmun to 14 days' judicial custody.  

October 8: Aryan’s bail plea was rejected by a magistrate court in Mumbai on technical grounds. Khan's legal team now includes senior counsel Amit Desai, who is appearing as lead counsel. In response to Aryan’s bail plea, the NCB counsel said that they needed at least a week, to file replies as multiple bail pleas are pending in the case.The court announced that Aryan’s plea will be heard on October 13. 

October 13: Amit Desai comes down hard on the NCB. After an hour and a half of arguments, Desai closes saying, “The law has to be reformative, this is not the way to do it. They are not drug peddlers.They have suffered enough.” Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh responds with,"Aryan might not have been in possession of drugs, but if he had knowledge about the possession of drugs with Arbaaz, it is as good as his own possession." The sessions court adjournes Aryan Khan's bail hearing till 11 am, October 14.

October 14: Judge VV Patil reserves order on Aryan's bail plea till October 20. Aryan will now stay in Arthur Road jail till at least October 20. 

October 20: Aryan's bail plea has been rejected again and his legal team is now going to file a plea in the Bombay High Court. Till then, Aryan will remain at Arthur Road jail. Aryan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde has said that they will try to mention his case in court by 10.30 am tomorrow or submit a written request for an early hearing. 

October 21: Ananya Pandey has been summoned by the NCB in relation to her name being found in Aryan's phone. Her phone and laptop have been confisticated and the Pandey family has vowed to cooperate with the NCB. 

October 24: Independent witness, Prabhakar Sail (bodyguard of KP Gosavi) alleged that Sameer Wankehde has demanded Rs 25 cr to release Aryan through KP Gosavi. He also claims that he was made to sign a blank panchnama. The NCB has denied these allegations and Wankhede has sought the Mumbai Police Commissioner for protection. Gauri Khan is set to meet Aryan at Arthur Road jail. 

October 26: Hearing on Aryan's new plea begins at Bombay High Court. Fresh arguments were made in court and Aryan is now be represented by Former Attorney General for India and member of Karanjawala & Co., Mukul Rohatgi. Mukul argued that there is no valid case against Aryan. He said to Court that there was only a 'meeting of minds' but neither any consumption nor any drugs were found on Aryan. He also argues that Aryan's mobile phone was not seized and was only in remand. Court adjournes for the day and Aryan remains at Arthur Road jail. 

October 27: Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhameecha are now representated by Desai and Advocate Ali Kashif Khan. The hearing goes on for more than 2 hours and the Court adjourns, yet again with no outcome for the day. Aryan, Arbaaz and Munmun remain in jail. Hearing will continue on October 28. 

#AryanKhan’s bail plea to be heard on Oct 13.Here’s a timeline of the #MumbaiDrugBust case:• Oct 2: Aryan & 8 others detained by #NCB from the Cordelia Cruises’ Empress ship following a raid• Oct 3: Aryan arrested by NCB pic.twitter.com/Eskgjv6Uq8

— DailyO (@DailyO_) October 11, 2021

THE O: The Narcotics Control Bureau led by Officer Sameer Wankhede has been chasing peddlers and consumers in the film industry for a couple of years. They have a celebrity, Aryan Khan, in their possession but no material evidence at all. To keep him in custody, the NCB has to convince the court that Aryan has any significant role in the drug dealer nexus. That will be difficult. The NCB needs to go after the sellers and not the youth who end up consuming recreational drugs. What's illegal is illegal but the media interest on Aryan Khan will always be high, even if nothing is proven. If he is guilty as charged, he will serve his time. If not, he will end up being punished by the process.