Mumbai court allows actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused in drugs case, to attend IIFA awards show abroad
Mumbai, Jun 1: A special NDPS court here on Wednesday permitted actor Rhea Chakraborty, an accused in a drugs case related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, to travel to Abu Dhabi for four days to attend the IIFA awards show.
Special Judge A A Joglekar directed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the prosecuting agency, to hand over Chakraborty's passport to her, and permitted her to travel to Abu Dhabi from June 2 to 5.
The court, while imposing a slew of conditions on Chakraborty, said she shall appear before the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi daily to mark her attendance, submit her itinerary to the NCB and resurrender her passport to the NCB once she returns to India.
"The applicant is also directed to furnish additional cash security of Rs 1 lakh with the registry of this court," the special court said in its order.
Chakraborty's advocate Nikhil Maneshinde told the court that the actor has been invited by the International Indian Film Academy's (IIFA) director to walk the green carpet, present an award and also host an interaction.
The criminal prosecution has affected Chakraborty's acting career and she has suffered setbacks and faced significant financial losses. Such opportunities are important for her prospects in the industry, Maneshinde said.
Chakraborty was arrested in the case in September 2020. She was granted bail by the Bombay High Court almost a month after her arrest.
Besides Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and several others are also arraigned as accused in the case for alleged consumption, possession and financing of drugs. Most of them are out on bail.
The NCB has been probing the alleged drug use in Bollywood and television industry following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020.
Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020.
The CBI is probing the case pertaining to his death.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
