After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will now join the investigation into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The NCB on Wednesday registered a first information report (FIR) against actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, talent manager Jaya Saha, Rajput’s former manager Shruti Modi and one Gaurav Arya under Sections 20, 22, 27 and 29 of the Narcotics Drugs and Pyschotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The NCB action came after the ED wrote to the agency, asking it to probe if drugs were supplied to Rajput and Chakraborty, who has been questioned multiple times by the latter.

NCB director Rakesh Asthana confirmed that a FIR has been filed. “We received a letter from ED on Tuesday evening, stating that during their probe into the financial aspects, they found that drugs were supplied to Rhea and Sushant. An NCB team will now conduct an inquiry and people involved will be questioned,” Asthana said.

ED sources said during their questioning of Saha, Chakraborty’s talent manager, they found some conversation between the two about some drug.

However, none of the three central agencies provided any details into the form of drug or if it was consumed by any of the persons involved in the case.

Satish Maneshinde, senior counsel and Chakraborty’s lawyer, said, “Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life. She’s ready for a blood test any time.”

The ED, however, has called Saha to its South Mumbai office for questioning once again.

Meanwhile, the CBI on Wednesday continued to question the late actor’s cook Neeraj Singh, roommate and creative manager Siddharth Pithani at the DRDO guest house in Santacruz (East).

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14. The post-mortem report concluded he died by suicide. The probe was handed over to CBI by the Supreme Court, after it upheld the validity of a first information report (FIR) lodged by Bihar Police in response to a complaint filed by Rajput’s father, KK Singh, who has accused Chakraborty and her family of abetting his son’s suicide and misappropriating his money.

SECTIONS OF NDPS ACT UNDER WHICH FIR HAS BEEN FILED

Section 20 of the NDPS Act prescribes punishment for anyone who cultivates, produces, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-state, exports inter-state or uses cannabis. The section 20 (ii) (a) states that a person found with small quantity can be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term up to six months, or with fine, which may extend to Rs10,000 or with both. Section 20 (ii) (b) prescribes rigorous imprisonment which may extend to 10 years and with a fine which may extend to Rs1 lakh when a person is found with cannabis which is lesser in quantity than commercial quantity but greater than small quantity. Section 20 (ii) (C) prescribes a punishment for commercial quantity where a person can be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment which shall not be less than 10 years and may extend to 20 years and shall be liable for a fine not less than Rs1 lakh which may extend to Rs2 lakh.

Section 22 of the NDPS Act states that whoever, in contravention of any provision of this Act or any rule or order made or condition of licence granted thereunder, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or uses any psychotropic substance shall be punishable,

(a) Where the contravention involves small quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs10,000, or with both

(b) Where the contravention involves quantity lesser than commercial quantity but greater than small quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and with fine which may extend to Rs1 lakh

(c) Where the contravention involves commercial quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 10 years but which may extend to 20 years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs1 lakh but which may extend to Rs2 lakh: Provided that the court may, for reasons to be recorded in the judgment, impose a fine exceeding Rs2 lakh

Section 27 of the NDPS Act states that whoever, consumes any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance shall be punishable,

(a) Where the narcotic drug or psychotropic substance consumed is cocaine, morphine, diacetyl-morphine or any other narcotic drug or any psychotropic substance as may be specified in this behalf by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to Rs20,000; or with both

(b) Where the narcotic drug or psychotropic substance consumed is other than those specified in or under clause (a), with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs10,000, or with both.

Section 29 of the NDPS Act prescribes punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy

1. Whoever abets, or is a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable under this Chapter, shall, whether such offence be or be not committed in consequence of such abetment or in pursuance of such criminal conspiracy, and notwithstanding anything contained in section 116 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), be punishable with the punishment provided for the offence.

2. A person abets, or is a party to a criminal conspiracy to commit, an offence, within the meaning of this section, who, in India abets or is a party to the criminal conspiracy to the commission of any act in a place without and beyond India which—

1. Would constitute an offence if committed within India; or

2. Under the laws of such place, is an offence relating to narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances having all the legal conditions required to constitute it such an offence the same as or analogous to the legal conditions required to constitute it an offence punishable under this Chapter, if committed within India.

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