Actor Rhea Chakraborty was charged by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday for buying narcotics for her actor-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput, who died in 2020.
A chargesheet named Ms. Chakraborty and 34 others as accused in the high-profile case.
Ms. Chakraborty, 30, has been charged with purchasing and financing a small quantity of marijuana.
Showik Chakraborty, the brother of Ms. Chakraborty, has also been named as an accused.
The NCB has alleged that Ms. Chakraborty ‘received and delivered marijuana to Mr. Sushant Singh Rajput. She also made payments for it at his instance.’
The actor has called the allegations and media trials a ‘witch hunt.’ She denied that she used drugs or helped in procuring them in her media appearances following the death of the actor.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s family accused Ms. Chakraborty of mentally harassing him and exploiting him for money, subsequently the SC ordered a CBI probe into the case.
Besides the NCB and CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also investigating the financial aspects of the case.
Ms. Chakraborty was arrested in September 2020. She was granted bail by the Bombay High Court a month later.
The NCB launched a probe into the drug use in Bollywood and the television industry following the furore over Rajput’s death, which was adjudged a suicide by AIIMS.
If convicted, Ms. Chakraborty faces over 10 years in jail.