The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Kannada actor Ragini Dwivedi in a drugs case, Live Law reported. She was arrested in Bengaluru in September.
Dwivedi was accused of consuming and supplying drugs at parties and events. She was charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and several sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman set aside the Karnataka High Court’s dismissal of Dwivedi’s bail petition. “Though petitioner has been found violating certain sections of NDPS Act, prima facie if anyone offence has been made out, it can be said to be made out under Section 27(b) for consumption of certain drugs,” the bench said.
Dwivedi’s lawyer Sidharth Luthra told the court that she had been kept in custody for 140 days, while the other accused in the case were out on bail. He added that no drugs were found after raids at her home. “There is no material of financing,” he said. “The only thing is consumption of less than 0.5gm of contraband.”
Luthra added that Dwivedi’s arrest in the case was based on the statements of Ravi Shankar, another accused in the case.
Dwivedi has claimed that she was kept in jail without any evidence or the recovery of drugs from her, according to NDTV. She also accused the prosecution of framing her in the case to draw public attention.
The action against Dwivedi was part of the crackdown on a drug racket involving the Kannada film industry, also known as the Sandalwood drugs case.
Earlier this month, Central Crime Branch officials had arrested actor Vivek Oberoi’s brother-in-law Aditya Alva in Chennai in connection with the drugs case. Alva is also the son of former Karnataka minister Jeevaraj Alva.
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