A Mumbai sessions court on Thursday rejected the bail pleas of three individuals accused in a fatal drug overdose case, while granting relief to one of the alleged organisers of the music concert held at Nesco, Akash Samal. The court denied bail to alleged drug suppliers Raunak Khandelwal and Pratik Pandey, as well as to Sunny Jain, a senior executive of the exhibition centre. The detailed orders are yet to be made available.
Arguments for Bail
Seeking bail, Samal's lawyer Sakshi Mane submitted that the role of Samal and his company was limited to artist management. The bail plea stated, 'Hence, the allegation that the applicant along with Nesco conspired to allow passage of drugs at the venue fails to inspire confidence to make out a case.' It was further submitted that Samal himself was a 'victim' and a young businessman who was unaware of the acts committed by the guests or any involvement of Nesco in the matter.
Details of the Incident
On April 11, a 28-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman—part of a group of 19 MBA students from a prestigious management institute—fell ill after consuming Ecstasy pills at a music concert held at Nesco in Goregaon (East). The duo died the following day, while a third student remained hospitalised. Police subsequently arrested two of their fellow students, Khandelwal and Pandey, for allegedly providing the drugs.
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