Aryan Khan, the son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has to spend another night in jail as his bail papers missed the deadline after a nerve-wracking countdown that went down to seconds.
Aryan Khan, 23, was granted bail on Thursday by the Bombay High Court.
For him to leave jail today, the deadline for the jailer at Mumbai's Arthur Road to receive a release order was 5.30 pm. Jail officials said the papers did not reach them on time.
"We won't give special treatment to anyone. The law is the same for all. The deadline for receiving the bail papers was 5.30 pm. That has passed. He won't be released today," news agency PTI quoted a prison official as saying.
Actor Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan's co-star in many movies, played an important part today in helping with his son Aryan Khan's release from jail.
She stood surety for Aryan Khan, who was asked to pay a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh. That was crucial for the court to send release paperwork to Mumbai's Arthur Road jail, where Aryan Khan has spent 22 days.
Aryan Khan cannot leave Mumbai without informing the police and has to appear before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) every Friday, a court order said today, listing 14 conditions for his bail.
He has to submit a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh, according to the order, and surrender his passport.
The conditions include not leaving the country without permission, "not indulging in similar activities, not communicating with other accused like his friend Arbaaz Merchant, and not talking to the media."
Aryan Khan also has to go to the NCB office every Friday between 11 am and 2 pm, attend court hearings, and join investigations whenever required.
If any of these conditions are violated, the court says, the NCB can request cancellation of bail.
Aryan Khan, 23, was taken into custody on October 3, hours after drug raids on a cruise ship party by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The star son has been in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail since October 8 and had been denied bail twice.
Aryan Khan's friend Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha have also been granted bail.
The Khans' Mumbai home, "Mannat", usually features legions of fans waiting for a glimpse of SRK, especially on his birthday November 2. In the past few weeks, scores of people showed up at Shah Rukh Khan's Mumbai home, "Mannat", in solidarity, holding up posters and messages for their idol. Within the film industry, besides Salman Khan, Farah Khan and Hrithik Roshan, few others have openly showed their support.