Drugs case: Deepika Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash files for anticipatory bail

Four days after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided the Versova residence of actor Deepika Padukone’s manager Karishma Prakash and claimed to have found 1.7 grams of charas and two bottles of CBD (Cannabidiol) oil, Prakash on Saturday filed an anticipatory bail application in the sessions court, her lawyer Ayaz Khan confirmed. The application is expected to be heard on Tuesday.

On October 27, NCB officials had raided Prakash’s residence when she was not at home and the search was carried out in the presence of her acquaintances. NCB officials had said Prakash’s name cropped up during the questioning of one of the peddlers arrested by the agency in the case in which it is looking to “bust drug networks around Bollywood”. The NCB found 1.7 grams of charas and at least two bottles of CBD oil. Prakash was called for questioning by the NCB on October 28.

Seeking protection from arrest, Prakash has contended that the possession of such a small quantity of charas can, at the most, attract one year in prison. Hence, citing a Supreme Court ruling according to which custodial interrogation is not necessary in offences attracting less than seven years imprisonment, Prakash has stated that her personal liberty should not be taken away, The Indian Express has learnt. About the CBD oil extracted from cannabis plant, Prakash has contended that it is not covered by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Of the two bottles found in her residence, one was empty and the other one was used, sources said. The FIR in which actor Rhea Chakraborty and 23 others have been arrested is being probed by Mumbai Zonal Unit of NCB. Chakraborty has been released on bail.