Introduction

In India, western culture is taking over in almost every aspect. The use of drugs and partying with intoxicants is like a trend nowadays. There have been many instances where the police and officers have raided and seized illegal products. Recently, there have been many new articles where we can see that Bollywood stars have been in the highlights. Sometimes for illegal businesses or sometimes in case of drugs seizure. One more incident took place where the son of actor Shahrukh khan, Aryan Khan has been taken into custody.

The case is related to a rave party that was going on on a cruise and was an expensive one. According to some reporters, Aryan Khan was found with illegal drugs that are already banned under the law. Along with this, a huge amount of cash has been seized. Taking all these things into consideration, the custody of Aryan Khan has not been relaxed.

Issue in detail

In news channels, the name of Aryan Khan has been highlighted for being caught with drugs. Along with him, some other people have also been kept in custody by NCB. It is also being said that along with the seizure of drugs and cash, some incriminating material has been recovered from the WhatsApp chat of Aryan Khan. In the chats, code words were used for selling and buying drugs illegally.
The accused people have been charged with provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). The provisions have been inserted in order to remove the use of illegal drugs by the youth. As this is harming society at a fast pace. There have also been various defences taken by the advocate of Aryan Khan in order to take him out of custody.

Applicable Provisions of NDPS

The custody of Aryan Khan is accompanied by the provisions of NDPS for clarifying the position of custody. Firstly, Section 8(c) of the Act has been imposed. The section states produce, manufacture, possess, sell or purchase of drugs. It includes the conditions applicable and the punishments that can be imposed. The section has been applied in the present case as incriminating material has been recovered from WhatsApp chats. The provision prohibits the sale, purchase or use of drugs.

Secondly, section 20(b) has been applied. The provision states the punishment for contravention of cannabis. The section is for preventing the unlawful possession of cannabis. Any person who possesses sells transports or any such act is committed, the offence is punishable under this section. The term of imprisonment for the offence can extend up to 10 years and also fine can extend to Rs. 1 lakh. The imprisonment and fine depends on the quantity of cannabis seized.

Thirdly, section 27 of the NDPS Act. The section relates to the consumption of any narcotic drug or any psychotropic substance. The substance includes cocaine, morphine, and any narcotic drug. The punishment for the said offence can extend up to 1 year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 20,000. Here also, the punishment depends on the amount of material seized.

Fourthly, section 35 of the NDPS Act. The section states that it will be assumed that the accused knew about a crime they were committing. And hence, they will be held as guilty unless proven innocent. The mental state under this section includes the motive, intention, knowledge of fact etc. the punishment varies depending on the amount seized.

Due to the provisions that have been imposed, Aryan khan is in custody for some days. Till that, the investigation is going on in order to find other culprits and also some steps are being taken to prove Aryan innocent. This case has taken over media, not because of the use of illegal drugs but, the son of a movie star was involved in it.

Drugs case or “Aryan Khan” Case?

Recently, there have many memes on social media stating the guilt of Aryan Khan. Also, connecting the same to the reputation of Shahrukh Khan. It is necessary to note that the drugs have been seized from a party and not personally from Aryan Khan. The blame game is going on in a biased manner. The main motive of the media is not to highlight the matter of drug seizure but, to highlight and defame a famous actor and his family.

It has nowhere been stated that Aryan Khan is innocent but, it is also not given that he was guilty all along. This is a serious case of defamation of actor Shahrukh Khan. There have been false comments in the name of the actor after his son has been taken into custody. The media is highlighting only one name and not the whole party. The focus has been shifted from other important issues in the nation to defamation of actors. It is an unnecessary cause to connect this case with other incidents that took place recently. It is vital to take charge of highlighting the issues that would affect the country as a whole.

Conclusion

The case of seizure of drugs from a cruise party has taken over social media and news channels. Till now, the advocate of Aryan Khan has stated some points in order to prove him innocent. One of those is that Aryan was not the host of the party and also was not alone present in the party. The defences have not been taken into consideration and custody continues to remain. It will be crucial to see what happens next and to what extent the provisions of NDPS will be applicable in this particular case.