Coerced to make self-incriminating confessions: Rhea Chakraborty in plea
Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, held in a drugs case linked to her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, has alleged in her bail application filed in a Mumbai court that during her interrogation by the NCB, she was "coerced" into making "self-incriminating confessions".
In the plea filed in a sessions court on Wednesday, Rhea also claimed that she has not committed any crime whatsoever and has been falsely implicated in the case. Her bail application is scheduled to come up for hearing on Thursday.
The actor, who was arrested in Mumbai by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday, filed this plea after a magistrate court rejected her bail application.
The plea, filed by her lawyer Satish Maneshinde said, "During her (NCB) custody, the applicant (Rhea) was coerced into making self-incriminating confessions. The actor has formally retracted all such incriminating confessions."
In the plea, she also said that her arrest is "unwarranted and without any justification". "The actor's liberty has arbitrarily beencurtailed," it added.
The plea also said that no female officer was present during her interrogation. Rhea was arrested after three days of questioning by the NCB. She is currently in judicial custody.
Besides Rhea's, the bail pleas of other accused, including that of her brother Showik, who was arrested by the NCB last week, will also be heard on Thursday.
Besides Rhea and Showik, the NCB has also arrested Sushant's house manager Samuel Miranda and others on drug supply charges.
The NCB had earlier said that Rhea, in her statement revealed about her involvement in the procurement of drugs and financial transactions and also her instructions to other accused, Samuel Miranda, Sushant's domestic help Dipesh Sawant and Showik in this regard.
"Therefore, it is clear from her statement that Rhea is an active member of the drug syndicate connected with drug supplies," the agency said.
The NCB had said that the actress has revealed that she used to procure drugs for Sushant for consumption purpose. She also used to manage finances for drug procurement along with the late actor, it added.
The NCB is probing the drug angle in this case under criminal sections of the NDPS Act after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) shared with it a report following the cloning of two mobile phones of Rhea.
Various angles surrounding the death of the Sushant Singh Rajput are being probed by three federal agencies- the NCB, the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Rajput was found dead at his Bandra flat on June 14.
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Like Rohit and Virat, Sanju can''t be replaced: Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag
Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday said Sanju Samson's void cannot be filled in his side, likening the challenge to replacing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
Sanju, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season move, with Ravindra Jadeja coming in as part of the deal.
"If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is," Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference here.
"We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skillset or have someone bat in his position...
"It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma... In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said.
Having represented the franchise for 11 years across two stints, Sanju was RR's most successful captain and leading run-scorer, having guided them to the IPL 2022 final and the playoffs in 2024.
His stature has only grown manifold following a stellar T20 World Cup campaign, where he struck three successive match-defining half-centuries to power India to a historic treble and title defence.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final with Sanju being adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament.
Rajasthan Royals had a forgettable last season, enduring 10 defeats to finish ninth in the 10=team standings.
Parag, who has been picked as the captain following Sanju's exit, said RR lost far too many close matches last year and the 2008 winners need better strategy and planning.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition," he said.
"We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches," he said.
"I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different," Parag added.
He further expressed his gratitude to the franchise for keeping their faith in him despite several seasons of struggle.
"I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am,” Parag said.
Sangakkara backs Parag -- the skipper
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The Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara said he has always “admired” Parag as a cricketer and he was picked as a skipper after a robust round of interviews with other candidates.
"It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He's right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot," Sangakkara said.
"The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become."
“To select a captain once Sanju decided to leave, it was very important that we explore all options. We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan,” Sangakkara added.
