Nawab Malik used points from the high court's order to target the NCB's probe. File
Stepping up his attack on Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik alleged that Bombay High Court's bail order for actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan and others proves it was "a case of kidnapping and ransom".
The minister has consistently accused the anti-drugs agency, particularly its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, of foisting false charges against Aryan Khan and others in the drugs-on-cruise case. In his latest blow, Mr Malik used pointers from the high court's order to target the agency's probe.
In the bail order released today, the court has noted that it found no evidence of a conspiracy between Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha to commit drug-related offences. It also said there was nothing objectionable in the WhatsApp chats between them.
"There is hardly any positive evidence on record to convince this Court that all the accused persons with common intention agreed to commit unlawful act," the order read.
"Merely because Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha were travelling in the same cruise, that by itself cannot be a foundation for the charge of conspiracy against them," the court added.
Aryan Khan was granted bail three weeks after his arrest in the drugs-on-cruise case. Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha have also been granted bail.
Mr Malik added in his post that the case was "pre-planned but a selfie released in public domain failed the plan". The NCP leader was referring to a selfie of Aryan Khan with K C Gosavi, a private investigator and one of the witnesses in the case. His selfies and videos with Aryan Khan at the NCB office indicated that he had easy access to the superstar's son and fuelled questions about the NCB's investigation. Later, a man claiming to be his bodyguard alleged that Mr Gosavi and one Sam D'Souza had discussed payoffs in the case, kicking up a fresh row that put NCB zonal director Wankhede in a spot.
"The Farjiwada now stands exposed," Mr Malik said in his fresh attack on the anti-drugs agency's probe.
The PTI reported that Mr Malik issued a statement in which he demanded that Mr Wankhede must be suspended. He said the court's puts a question mark on the NCB's arrest of Aryan Khan.
When contacted, Mr Wankhede said he can not comment on the high court's order as the matter was sub-judice and also that he did not want to give importance to Mr Malik's allegations, the PTI reported.