Aryan Khan, the son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, spent another night in jail as his bail papers missed the deadline on Friday 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 last evening, the deadline for a hard copy of the release order to be dropped in the "bail box" at Mumbai's Arthur Road was 5.30 pm. Jail officials said the papers did not reach them on time.
"The bail box is shut. Any release now will happen only after 10 am tomorrow," Nitin Wayachal, a senior jail official, told NDTV on Friday. The bail orders were collected from the bail box at 5:30 AM on Saturday.
Another official told PTI: "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."
Anticipating his homecoming, Shah Rukh Khan had left his Mumbai home Mannat at around 3.40 pm for the prison where Aryan has already spent 22 days.
Actor Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan's co-star in the early days of his film career, signed the Rs 1 lakh bail bond for Aryan Khan.
Aryan Khan case: Jail officials collected bail orders, including Aryan Khan's, from the bail box at 5:30 AM on Saturday.
That step was necessary for the Mumbai sessions court to sign the release papers that were to be sent directly to the prison.
"The main thing is - ab bachcha ghar aa jayega (Aryan will return home)," Juhi Chawla told reporters.
Aryan Khan's lawyers rushed to make it to the Arthur Road jail and deposit the documents through the slot in a metal box that is opened four times in a day - at 5.30 am, 10.30 am, 3.30 pm and 5.30 pm.
Many noted that the process of bail seemed archaic, especially for a case that was based on WhatsApp chats.
Aryan Khan spent nearly a month in jail after his arrest following a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raid on a cruise ship party on October 2. He was "Accused Number 1" in the drugs-on-cruise case in which a total of 20 were arrested.
Though no drugs were found on him, the anti-drugs agency claimed in courts that his WhatsApp chats proved his involvement in "illicit drug deals" and links with a foreign drugs cartel.
Outside Mannat, a huge contingent of the media waited long hours for the return of Aryan Khan, who left home on October 2 for the cruise party and has not returned since.
The Bombay High Court has listed 14 conditions for his bail - Aryan Khan cannot leave Mumbai without informing the police and has to appear before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) every Friday.
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.
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