A landmark step in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case has given much respite to the actor Rhea Chakraborty’s family. A special court in Mumbai has ordered the defreezing of a number of bank accounts of Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and mother Sandhya Chakraborty. The NCB had frozen the accounts in 2020 in the wake of its investigation into a possible drugs element in the case. The court, in its order, pointed out procedural errors in the way the agency had carried out the asset freezing.
What prompted the defreezing of Rhea Chakraborty’s bank accounts?
The accounts had been frozen by the NCB in the course of its investigation into the drugs element in the Sushant Singh Rajput murder case. Some accounts had already been defrozen but the Chakraborty family approached the court to free a number of other accounts in ICICI, Axis and Kotak banks. They pointed out that most of these were joint accounts and that the continued freeze was causing them immense hardship.
Why did the court set the NCB’s actions aside?
The court said that the NCB had not complied with the requirements of the law under Section 68( F ) of the NDPS Act, according to which any freezing of the assets must be confirmed by a competent authority within 30 days. The agency had not done so. Special Judge U.C. Deshmukh was of the opinion that the lack of such confirmation meant that the freezing of the accounts was illegal and that this is what led the court to be in favour of the applicants.
What did each side say?
Rhea’s lawyers, Ayaz Khan and Zehra Charania, said that the NCB’s action was illegal because it had not complied with the requirements of the law. They said that the accounts were frozen without due process. The prosecution said that the action was justified because of statements taken during the investigation that linked Rhea to a drug ring. The court, however, was more concerned with ensuring that the proper procedures were followed and not with the actual investigation.
What does this mean for the case?
While it does not specifically address the main allegations in the case, the ruling does lead to a defreezing of the accounts in question. This means that the Chakraborty family will have access to the money in those accounts. It also signals that enforcement agencies must follow the proper procedures, even in a high-profile case.
What comes next for Rhea Chakraborty?
In the midst of this legal reprieve, Rhea is gearing up for a career relaunch with her upcoming film with filmmaker Hansal Mehta. She has discussed her emotional struggle and the support she received from close friends like Shibani Dandekar. Though her legal fight isn’t over, this latest court order is a significant milestone in her case.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience reporting on Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes journalism plays a crucial role in amplifying unheard voices and bringing attention to issues that truly matter. Sofia has contributed articles to The New Indian Express, Youth Ki Awaaz, and Maktoob Media. She is also a recipient of the 2025 Laadli Media Awards for gender sensitivity. Beyond the newsroom, she is a music enthusiast who enjoys singing. Connect with Sofia on X: https://x.com/SBCism
