Recently, the Pune Court drew attention in a drug party case involving Dr Pranjal Khewalkar, son-in-law of former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse, along with several other city residents. The case attracted public interest due to the upscale location of the raid and the alleged involvement of well-known personalities in the city’s social circles.
The case dates back to late July, when the Crime Branch of Pune Police raided a rented studio apartment in Staybird Azure Suite, Kharadi, following a tip-off about a party involving drugs. During the raid, seven people were arrested, including Dr Khewalkar, Nikhil Poptani, Sameer Sayyed, Sachin Bhombe, Shripad Yadav, and two women identified as Isha Singh and Prachi Sharma. The police claimed to have seized cocaine, marijuana, hookah, and liquor bottles.
The defence argued that the alleged gatherings were private events and that there was no conclusive evidence of organized drug trafficking. Dr Khewalkar’s lawyer, Pushkar Surve, stated that the accused were cooperating with the investigation. Meanwhile, the police pointed to Instagram chats allegedly exchanged among the accused regarding procurement of drugs and highlighted that Dr Khewalkar had booked the apartment multiple times over the past year.
The Court observed the seriousness of the allegations while weighing the arguments regarding the personal nature of the gathering and the absence of prior criminal records for the accused. Additional Sessions Judge J G Dorle granted bail to Dr Pranjal Khewalkar, Shripad Yadav, and Prachi Sharma, allowing them to await further investigation outside custody.
Source Link
Picture Source :
