Rhea Chakraborty has received relief after a special NDPS court ordered the defreezing of her bank accounts. The court said the agency failed to follow mandatory legal procedures. Court grants relief to Rhea Chakraborty A
special NDPS court on Saturday ordered that the bank accounts of Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, Showik Chakraborty, be defreezed. These accounts had been frozen in 2020 during an investigation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The probe was linked to a drug trail that surfaced during the investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Why the court passed the order The court’s decision focused on a key procedural issue. It observed that the agency did not follow the legal requirements under Section 68F of the NDPS Act. “Sub-section (2) of Section 68F of the Act provides that an order of freezing or seizing the property shall have no effect unless such order is confirmed by an order of the competent authority within a period of 30 days of its being made,” the court observed. The court noted that no such confirmation was obtained in this case, making the freezing of the accounts invalid under the law. Defence points to legal lapses Rhea and her brother had approached the court through their lawyers, Ayaz Khan and Zehra Charania. The defence argued that the freezing of the accounts did not follow due process. They said that the NCB failed to secure the required approval within the stipulated time, as mandated under the law. According to them, this made the action illegal. Prosecution opposes the plea The prosecution opposed the request to defreeze the accounts. It referred to Rhea Chakraborty’s statement and claimed she was part of a drug-related network. They argued that the officer had valid grounds to freeze the accounts and that the action was justified during the investigation. Court rejects prosecution’s stand Despite the opposition, the court did not accept the prosecution’s arguments. It held that the absence of a proper order within the required timeline could not be ignored. The court stated that since no order as required under the Act was passed, the freezing of the accounts could not stand. Rhea Chakraborty was arrested in September 2020 on drug-related accusations in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. She was charged with obtaining and providing drugs to the late actor. However, after 28 days, the actress was granted bail.
