Bharti Singh & husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa granted bail after arrest by NCB in drugs case

A magistrate court in Mumbai on Monday granted bail to comedian Bharti Singh and husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa, a day after the court had remanded them to judicial custody till December 4, following the seizure of drugs from their house. The bail would be granted upon furnishing bail bond of Rs.15000. 

Bharti and Haarsh booked under sections of NDPS Act

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Singh on Saturday and her husband early Sunday morning following seizure of ganja (cannabis) from their house in suburban Andheri. The couple was produced before a magistrates court on Sunday afternoon.

"The court has remanded both the accused to judicial custody till December 4," NCB prosecutor Atul Sarpande said. The NCB sought Limbachiyaa's custody for questioning but did not seek Singh's custody and told the court that she may be sent to judicial custody.

Singh and Limbachiyaa have been booked under sections 20(b)(ii)(A) (involves small quantity of drugs) and 8(c) (possession of drugs) and 27 (consumption of drugs) of the NDPS Act. According to PTI, in their bail pleas, Singh and Limbachiyaa sought to be released saying they do not have any criminal antecedents and hence there is no question of them absconding.

READ | Kerala govt won't implement draconian act punishing 'offensive' content with 5 years jail

READ | India may grant SII emergency use nod for Oxford Covid vaccine; DGCI awaiting UK decision

Acting on a tip-off, the NCB had on Saturday conducted a search at Singh's office and residence as part of its probe into the alleged drug use in the entertainment industry. Up to 1,000 gm of ganja is considered small quantity, which attracts jail term up to six months and/or fine of Rs 10,000. Possession of commercial quantity -- 20 kg or more -- can attract up to 20 years in jail. For the quantity in between, the punishment can be as much as 10 years in jail. 

Bharti Singh has appeared in a number of comedy and reality shows on TV and also hosted a few such shows. The NCB has been probing the alleged drug use in Bollywood after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June this year on the basis of WhatsApp chats involving drugs.

READ | NCB's Sameer Wankhede & 5 other officials attacked by mob of 50+ during anti-drug raid

READ | ICC reschedules Women's T-20 World Cup to 2023 to avoid having 3 major events in one year