Even as Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan met his son in Arthur Road jail on Thurday, the Bombay High Court said it would hear on October 26 the bail plea filed by Aryan. Aryan Khan’s advocate Satish Maneshinde mentioned the plea before a single bench of Justice N W Sambre, seeking urgent hearing on Friday. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), however, sought time till next week. Justice Sambre then posted the plea for hearing on October 26. On that day, the HC will also hear the bail plea filed by co-accused Munmun Dhamecha. Aryan Khan (23) moved the HC on Wednesday evening after a special NDPS court here rejected his bail plea in the afternoon. The special court, while refusing bail, had observed that Aryan Khan was involved in “illicit drug activities on a regular basis” and had a nexus with drug peddlers and suppliers.

 

The lower court had also rejected the bail pleas of Aryan Khan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha. The three were arrested on October 3 by the NCB after it raided the Goa-bound ship and claimed to have seized drugs, including charas. They are now in judicial custody. While Aryan Khan and Merchant are lodged at the Arthur Road prison, Dhamecha is lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in the city. The trio and others were held in the case for alleged conspiracy, possession, consumption, purchase and trafficking of drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. So far, 20 people have been arrested in the case. Later, Shah Rukh Khan met Aryan at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai . The actor reached the prison located in Mumbai Central around 9 am and left at 9.35 am, the official said.

 

The prison authorities checked the actor’s Aadhaar card and other documents before he entered the premises, officials said. After the verification of documents, a token was given to him by prison officials, following which he was allowed to meet his son, who is lodged in the jail’s general cell as an undertrial. Shah Rukh Khan met his son for about 15 to 20 minutes, a prison official said, adding that there was a glass fencing between them and they spoke on the intercom. Four guards were present along with them during their conversation, he said. The actor was allowed to meet his son, as per the prison manual, like any other family member of a prisoner and no special treatment was given to him, the official said. A large number of mediapersons and local residents had gathered outside the prison when the actor arrived. Heavy police security was also deployed outside the jail premises. Till now, family members of the prisoners were not being allowed to visit the jail in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prison authorities started allowing the family members of prisoners to visit them from Thursday morning, the official said.