The High Court of Bombay on Thursday granted bail to Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, and two other suspects in a drugs case that has become mired in political controversy.
Mr Khan, 23, and seven others were arrested on October 2 after undercover agents from the Narcotics Control Bureau raided a cruise boat sailing off India's west coast from Mumbai city to the resort state of Goa.
He was being held in Mumbai’s high-security Arthur Road jail after several unsuccessful bail applications.
Last week, a lower court rejected Mr Khan's bail petition after observing that his WhatsApp chats appeared to link him to drug suppliers and peddlers.
The high court overturned that decision after a three-day hearing. He is likely to be freed only after bail conditions are set on Friday.
The court also granted bail to two other suspects arrested in the boat raid, all of whom are accused of sale, consumption, procuring banned substances, and conspiracy under India’s drug laws. Another 13 suspects were arrested in the following weeks.
The NCB claimed to have recovered small quantities of cocaine, mephedrone, marijuana, and ecstasy pills during the raid, although no drugs were found on Mr Khan, according to court documents.
Mr Khan denies all the charges. But the bureau claims to have found incriminating WhatsApp conversations on his mobile phone, linking him to an international drug ring and said his release would harm the investigation.
Prosecutors have been focusing on the conspiracy charges – a provision of the anti-drug law that presumes an accused person guilty unless they prove their innocence. Convicts face minimum jail terms of 10 years.
Mr Khan’s father Shah Rukh, 55, is a Bollywood megastar. He did not attend any of his son's bail hearings or make a public statement but visited him once in jail.
The actor – known as King Khan – has remained a non-controversial figure throughout his three-decade career and has received widespread support from fans.
His son’s arrest also stirred a public debate about narcotics use and laws in India, with growing calls for decriminalising personal drug use.
Consumption and trade of narcotics such as cannabis, opioids and psychotropic drugs are illegal in India but government estimates from 2019 say more than 61 million people were consuming hard and soft drugs.
While many people support the narcotics agency and criticised the film star over his son’s involvement in the case, key prosecution witnesses in the case have turned hostile and accused the NCB officer leading the investigation, Sameer Wankhede, of trying to extort money from the actor.
The witness, Prabhakar Sail, in a written statement to the court, said he overheard his employer, Kiran P Gosavi, a private detective and another witness in the case – discussing pay-offs of 250 million rupees ($3.34m) – out of which 80 million rupees were earmarked for Mr Wankhede.
Mr Gosavi, who was arrested on Thursday by Maharashtra police in a separate fraud case, had posted a selfie with Mr Khan at the NCB office.
Videos of him and another prosecution witness, Manish Bhanushali, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, escorting Mr Khan and co-accused Arbaaz Merchant to the bureau’s Mumbai office went viral on social media and raised suspicions about their role.
Mr Sail claimed that he was forced to sign blank documents by the officer and made a witness in the case, after which he received death threats from unknown people.
The bureau told a Mumbai court on Tuesday that Mr Sail’s extortion allegations were influenced by Pooja Dadlani, the actor’s manager.
Mr Wankhede and Mr Gosavi have denied the allegations. The NCB has ordered an internal investigation.
Mr Wankhede faces possible arrest after Mumbai Police launched a bribery investigation against him. He has said the allegations were an attempt to “create hurdles and scuttle the investigation" in the drug case.
He accused the state government of trying to implicate him after a minister, Nawab Malik, claimed that the officer was involved in forgery and extortion.
Last year, Mr Malik’s son-in-law was arrested by the officer over drug charges.
The case has also triggered a political tussle between Maharashtra’s ruling alliance and a federal agency controlled by Mr Modi’s government.
The bureau has faced flak over allegations that it was deliberately targeting film personalities to undermine the state government and show Mumbai, home to the Bollywood industry, as a drug haven.
But several leaders and supporters of Mr Modi’s party allege that the state government is soft on drug abuse and shields drug cartels.
Mr Wankhede was at the centre of a controversy last year involving the arrest of the actress Rhea Chakraborty after the death of her boyfriend and actor Sushant Singh Rajput following an alleged history of drug abuse.
His death brought to the fore the alleged abuse in the industry and the agency’s crackdown, including questioning of top actresses.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
