Rhea Chakraborty's Lawyer: Sushant Singh Rajput Was The Only Consumer Of Drugs, Had Been Doing So Before Meeting Her

Rhea Chakraborty’s lawyer, Satish Manishinde, during her bail hearing before the Bombay High Court on Tuesday has said that Sushant Singh Rajput had been consuming drugs since before he met her. Sushant died on June 14, and Rhea has been accused by his father of abetting his suicide.

According to Live Law India, Maneshinde in his arguments said, “It is not that Sushant Singh Rajput got into drugs after Rhea came into his life. His co-stars Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor appear to have given statements Sushant Singh Rajput was consuming drugs much prior to 2019.”

Rhea, along with her brother Showik and several others, has been arrested in connection with the drugs angle in Sushant’s death case. She is currently lodged at Byculla Jail. The Narcotics Control Bureau in its investigation concluded that Rhea was a part of a drugs syndicate, and had purchased narcotics. “Had Sushant Singh Rajput been alive today, he would have been punished under Section 20,” Maneshinde said. “Sushant would have then claimed the immunity of rehabilitation and got away with punishment for small quantities,” he added.

“There is nothing to say that Rhea financed any illicit drug purchase. Even if the prosecution case is accepted, that it only small quantity for the consumption of Sushant Singh Rajput,” he continued. Maneshinde has said that during the time that Rhea and Sushant were living together, the late actor “was the only consumer of drugs.” He said that the amount allegedly purchased -- “25 grams for the consumption of Sushant” -- indicates that they were not in it for the profit.

Also read: AIIMS forensic report finds no trace of organic poison in Sushant Singh Rajput’s body: report

Vikas Singh, the lawyer representing Sushant’s father in his case against Rhea, recently said in a press conference that the family is disappointed that the investigation has been derailed. “Today, we are helpless as we don’t know in which direction the case is going. Till today, CBI has not done a press briefing on what they have found out. I am not happy with the speed at which the case is going,” he said.

The NCB had launched an investigation after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation.