Sushant case: NCB arrests alleged drug dealer, detains another in Mumbai
Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau has arrested an alleged contraband dealer and detained another in connection with the drugs trafficking case linked to the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, officials said on Wednesday.
The arrested man has been identified by the federal anti-narcotics agency as Zaid Vilatra. Indian currency worth Rs 9,55,750 and foreign currency (USD 2,081, 180 British Pounds, 15 dirhams), which the NCB claimed are "proceeds of drug peddling", have been recovered from him.
"Zaid disclosed that he runs an eatery in Bandra which was not giving any pecuniary gains since lockdown. He also disclosed that he is into drug peddling especially bud, through which he used to earn a substantial amount of money," the NCB said.
According to the NCB, the best quality of bud is sold for about Rs 5,000 per gram.
Zaid came under the scanner after the agency arrested two people -- Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora -- in another narcotics case on August 27-28 in Mumbai and recovered a bud consignment from them.
Lakhani had "linkages" with Zaid, the NCB claimed. The agency has also detained a Bandra resident identified as Basit Parihar after interrogating Zaid.
Parihar is "learnt to have linkages" with the narcotics case registered against Rajput's live-in partner Rhea Chakraborty, 28, and others.
Rhea is the main accused in the death case of the 34-year-old actor that is being probed by the NCB, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering charges and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The role of Rhea's brother Showik and his purported links with the people nabbed by the NCB are under the scanner of the agency and he is expected to be summoned for questioning soon, the officials said.
Some more drug peddlers based in Maharashtra, Delhi and Goa are also under the agency's scanner, they said.
A special NCB team from Delhi, headed by deputy director (operations) K P S Malhotra, is camping in the western metropolis to take forward the probe.
The team also includes agency officers from Mumbai and has been constituted by NCB Director General Rakesh Asthana.
The agency filed a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after the ED shared with it a report following the cloning of two mobile phones of Rhea.
According to the officials, the mobile phone chats and messages indicated procurement, transportation and consumption of drugs and these leads were shared by the ED with the NCB and the CBI.
Rajput was found dead at his duplex flat in Bandra on June 14.
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SC asks Centre to consider amending law on terminating pregnancy of rape survivors
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday took strong exception to a plea by AIIMS seeking to set aside its order allowing a 15-year-old girl to medically terminate her 30-week pregnancy, and asked the Centre to consider amending the law to permit rape survivors to terminate unwanted pregnancies even beyond 20 weeks.
The top court said when there is pregnancy due to rape, there should not be a time limit.
Law needs to be organic and in sync with evolving time, it stressed.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said this is a case of child rape and the survivor will have a lifelong scar and trauma if termination is not allowed.
The top court said if the mother does not have permanent disability then it should be carried out.
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It asked AIIMS to counsel parents of the survivor over the issue and said the decision has to be of the person concerned.
"There are children for adoption. In this country we have lot of sympathies...There are deserted, abandoned children on the streets and even mafias on it. We have to look at them. This is an unwanted pregnancy of a 15-year-old child.
"This is a curative petition. Unwanted pregnancy cannot be thrusted on a person. Imagine she is a child. She should be studying now. But we want to make her a mother. Imagine the pain, the humiliation the child has suffered in this," the bench said.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for AIIMS, mentioned the curative plea, and said the termination of pregnancy is not possible.
"It will be a live baby with severe deformities. Minor mother will have lifelong health issues and cannot reproduce. Minor mother will have lifelong health issues. This child can be given for adoption. It has been 30 weeks now. It is a viable life now," she said.
The top court said the decision on termination has to choice of the survivor and her parents and AIIMS may help them take an informed decision.
On April 24, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan had allowed the girl to medically terminate her pregnancy of 30 weeks.
