Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan was on Thursday granted bail by the High Court in Mumbai, more than three weeks after the 23-year-old was arrested by the federal anti-narcotics agency in a drugs-on-cruise case.
Apart from Aryan, his two friends -- Arbaz Merchant and Mummun Dhamecha -- were also granted bail in the case. But the court added a rider to the bail -- the trio can't leave the country without its permission.
However, the three are unlikely to walk out of jail by Thursday night, as the High Court's detailed order will be issued Friday only.
During arguments, the federal prosecutors told the court that this was not a case of drugs consumption only, 'but that of conspiracy too", and that Aryan attempted to sell narcotics in commercial quantity.
On Tuesday, Aryan's lawyer Mukul Rohatgi argued in the court that the 23-year-old was a "young man who should be sent to a rehabilatation centre rather than jail".
Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3 after hours of grilling in connection with a rave party the federal agency busted on board a cruise ship off Mumbai coast a day before. He has been in judicial custody since October 8.
Acting on a tip-off, some 30 NCB sleuths, disguised as passengers, boarded luxury cruise liner 'Empress' on October 2 evening, which departed the Mumbai port for the neighbouring state of Goa.
The cruise ship was carrying mostly celebrities from Bollywood and the fashion industry. As soon as the rave party began, the NCB sleuths swung into action and claimed to have caught red-handed those having drugs.
Aryan, his close friend Arbaaz, and eight others were soon detained. While two of the detainees had been freed after questioning, Aryan and seven others were subsequently arrested by the NCB.
Aryan's father Shah Rukh is considered the most talented Bollywood star. Popularly called the "King Khan", he has acted in over 80 films in a career spanning over 25 years.
Shah Rukh, in fact, rose to prominence after starring in 1995 romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the longest-running blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema. The film was shot in India and Europe.
Some of his other blockbusters include 'Dil To Pagal Hai' (1997) and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Shah Rukh was also widely praised for his superb performance in 2002 film 'Devdas', where he played an alcoholic.
The 55-year-old has also anchored many TV shows, and owns production company Red Chillies Entertainment and Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Shah Rukh has a net worth of USD 700 million. The superstar is married to interior designer Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu. Apart from Suhana, they have two sons.
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