A special court in Mumbai has allowed the defreezing of several bank accounts belonging to actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, and their mother Sandhya Chakraborty.
What’s Happening
- The accounts had been frozen by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in 2020 during the investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
- Although some of the accounts were released in 2021, the family recently approached the court again seeking access to additional accounts held with ICICI, Axis and Kotak banks.
- The plea, filed through advocates Ayaz Khan and Zehra Charania, focused on accounts that were largely held jointly by family members.
- In their submissions, the applicants argued that the NCB had not adhered to the provisions of Section 68F of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, making the continued freezing of the accounts unlawful.
- The section outlines the procedure for seizure or freezing of assets suspected to be linked to drug trafficking and requires that such action be confirmed by a Competent Authority within a stipulated time frame.
- Advocate Ayaz Khan, representing Rhea and her mother, told the court that in the case of the four accounts in question, this requirement had not been fulfilled.
- The prosecution, represented by Additional Public Prosecutor Geeta Nayyar, opposed the plea. The NCB maintained that, based on statements recorded during the investigation, Rhea Chakraborty was allegedly connected to a drug network and had been in contact with drug peddlers, which justified the freezing of the accounts.
- However, special judge UC Deshmukh noted that the legal procedure under the NDPS Act had not been followed. Referring to the law, the court observed that any such freezing order must be confirmed within 30 days to remain valid.
- In his order, the judge stated, “The NCB does not deny that there is no compliance of Sub-section (2) of Section 68F of the Act. There is no order as contemplated to be passed under such provisions of Act. Therefore, in view of the observations of the Hon’ble High Court in Jatinder (supra) and provisions of Section 68F of the Act, the application is liable to be allowed.”
- With this ruling, the court permitted the defreezing of the accounts. Neither Rhea Chakraborty nor her family has issued an official statement following the decision.
Background
Rhea Chakraborty is now set to return with filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s upcoming series. She admitted that she initially declined the offer.
“Hansal sir and the writer asked me what was stopping me. I told them I had left acting and they said that’s all the more reason I should do it because it does not matter whether I do well or not. Now I’m glad I said yes, it was different coming on set, such a long life has been lived in the last seven years. It’s like cycling, something you never forget.”
Beyond her professional comeback, Rhea also spoke about the support system that helped her through the most difficult phase of her life. She became emotional while talking about her close friends.
“My girl friends have shown me what true friendship is. To be loved for no reason and at the cost of their lives and livelihoods being in trouble is phenomenal,” she said, referring especially to singer-actor Shibani Dandekar, whom she described as “like a sister.”
Rhea shared that Shibani faced professional setbacks for standing by her publicly.
She concluded, “I’m grateful to have such women in my life, who lift each other up. On one hand I saw the worst side of humans but on the other side I also experienced the most beautiful side of humanity.”