A special NDPS Mumbai court on Wednesday refused bail to Siddharth Pithani, Sushant Singh Rajput’s roommate, in a drugs case linked to the Bollywood actor’s demise in June 2020. Pithani was seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on May 28 this year from Hyderabad and he is now in judicial custody.
He has been detained under section 27 (A) (financing illicit traffic and harboring offenders) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, among other allegations. Pithani had sought bail asserting that he had been fabricated in a false case. He was never found in possession of any drugs and nothing that could suggest he was engaged in drug trafficking was rescued from him, the bail plea said.
But special public prosecutor Advait Sethna argued that accused photos, videos and other material were procured from Pithani’s cell phone which showed that he used to procure drugs in large quantities when he stayed with Sushant. Special judge V V Vidwans refused the bail plea after hearing the arguments.
Following Sushant Singh Rajput’s supposed suicide at his Mumbai residence, the NCB began an investigation, based on some WhatsApp chats, into so-called drug supply rackets in the film industry. The Central agency also caught several people including Rajput’s girlfriend and actor Rhea Chakraborty. Most of those captured are out on bail.