Bombay High Court grants bail to Armaan Kohli in NDPS case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Bollywood actor Armaan Kohli who was in judicial custody after being arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for possession of drugs..Justice Nitin Sambre directed that Kohli be released upon furnishing a bond of ₹1 lakh with sureties.The High Court also clarified that in the event Kohli is found to be indulging in a similar offence, the NCB could move for cancellation of bail..Kohli was arrested by the NCB for possession of 1.2 grams of cocaine, a quantity falling under "small category" meant for consumption under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act. Later, NCB also arrested the drug peddler from whom a commercial quantity was recovered. NCB's case was that two accused persons were main suppliers who supplied narcotic substances on a regular basis. The Bureau alleged that the roles of the accused were connected and could not be dealt with separately.Apart from possession, Kohli was charged with financing the trafficking of drugs and consumption of the same..Advocates Taraq Sayed and Abhishek Yende, appearing for Kohli, admitted consumption, but refuted the charges of his being involved in the business of drugs. On this ground, they claimed that the agency could not invoke the more stringent sections of the NDPS Act.They added that mere collection of Kohli's bank statement and WhatsApp chats was not sufficient to invoke the stringent provisions..When Justice Sambre asked NCB to produce the seizure panchnama of the phone, the agency stated there was no such document.The Bench thereafter proceeded to grant bail, clarifying that a detailed order will be passed shortly.The operative part will be released first, the Bench indicated, to ensure that Kohli is released from custody at the earliest..Kohli moved for bail before the High Court after NCB filed its chargesheet in February 2022. The High Court had in December 2021 refused bail to the actor.