A special court in Mumbai has ordered the defreezing of bank accounts of actress Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik in a drugs case, citing non-compliance with mandatory provisions under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The NCB had frozen the accounts as part of its probe into a drug-related case linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Appearing for the siblings, advocate Ayaz Khan argued that the agency failed to follow the procedural requirements under Section 68F of the NDPS Act, which governs seizure or freezing of property.

The prosecution opposed the plea, relying on Chakraborty’s alleged statements to claim her involvement in a drug syndicate and contact with peddlers. It contended that freezing the accounts was a necessary step in the investigation.

However, Special NDPS Court Judge U.C. Deshmukh, in an order passed on Saturday, found merit in the defence submissions. The court noted that under Section 68F(2) of the NDPS Act, any freezing or seizure order must be confirmed by a “competent authority” within 30 days, failing which it becomes invalid.

“The respondent (NCB) does not deny that there is no compliance with the mandatory provision,” the court observed.

“Therefore, in view of a high court ruling and provisions of Section 68F of the NDPS Act, the application is liable to be allowed,” it said.

The court directed immediate defreezing of the bank accounts and permitted the duo to operate them in accordance with Reserve Bank of India regulations.

The NCB has been investigating alleged drug use in the film and television industry following Rajput’s death.

The 34-year-old actor was found hanging at his apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra area on June 14, 2020.