Aryank Khan walks out of Arthur Road jail after nearly a month
Highlights
- Aryan Khan was granted bail on Thursday by the Bombay High Court
- He spent two additional nights in jail as his papers missed the deadline
- Actor Juhi Chawla signed the ₹1 lakh bail bond for Aryan Khan
Aryan Khan, the son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, today left a Mumbai jail after nearly four weeks. The 23-year-old was granted bail on Thursday by the Bombay High Court in the drugs-on-cruise case but spent two additional nights in jail as his bail papers missed the 5:30 pm deadline on Friday after an anxious wait that went down to seconds.
Around 11 am, surrounded by security men, the star's son got into a waiting white Range Rover and was driven away, ending days of speculation behind his release.
Arthur Road jail officials were seen taking out the bail papers from the "bail box" in the early hours of the morning, setting off the process for the star son's release.
Since morning, fans have been crowding outside Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat home with "Welcome Home, Aryan" posters. Earlier, the megastar's cavalcade left for the Arthur Road Jail.
Mukul Rohatgi, former Attorney General of India, fought for Aryan Khan's bail in the High Court for three 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.
That step was necessary for the Mumbai sessions court to sign the release papers that were to be sent directly to the prison.
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 case in which a total of 20 were arrested.
The anti-drugs agency found no drugs on him, but claimed in court that his WhatsApp chats proved his involvement in "illicit drug deals" and links with a foreign drugs cartel.
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 agency 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, among others.
The NCB can request cancellation of bail if any of these conditions are violated.