The bail application filed by Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani and co-accused Rahul Thonse was denied by a special Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) court. Their bail application was in respect to a case related to the alleged drug abuse in the Kannada film industry.
The actors along with others were charged under various sections of the IPC which included criminal conspiracy and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 under sections 21, 21C, 27A, 27B, and section 29.
Both the actresses were reportedly taken into custody based on a suo moto case registered at the Cottonpet police station. It was said that they were taken in custody for allegedly consuming and supplying banned narcotic substances at parties and events that they used to organize. The complaint also mentioned that Galrani had formed a team to procure drugs from various other states and overseas as well.
Actress Ragini Dwivedi was arrested for this case on September 14 while Sanjana Galrani along with her mother was arrested on September 16 and the hearing took place on Friday. After hearing both the applicants and the prosecution, the special court retained the order on the bail petitions.
As per the Central Crime Branch (CBC), Niyaz has also been arrested in connection to the ongoing probe. Viren Khanna, who is a high-profile party planner, has been arrested by the CBC along with alleged drug peddlers Loum Pepper Samba, Rahul Tonse, Prashanth Ranka. The bail application of Ravishankar, Prashant Ranka, Vaibhav Jain, Prashant Raju and
Abhiswami has been adjourned to September 30.
Along with him, the CBC has questioned prominent Kannada filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh and a few other actors in the matter and it is said that Indrajit Lankesh has revealed information about drug use in the Kannada film industry. However, there is no confirmation on the same.
Aditya Alva, who is the brother-in-law of actor Vivek Oberoi has also been named in the case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe other than that by CBC into the alleged money trail involved in this entire case involving two actors along with other co-accused on charges of money laundering. Permission has been granted to ED from the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Thursday.
The ED is also likely to question Viren Khanna, Sanjjana`s friend and real estate businessman Rahul Tonse, and Ragini`s associate B.K. Ravi Shankar for the same case.
