A court in Mumbai has allowed the discharge application of an Australian national in a drugs case linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput while holding that there was no material to prove his involvement.
Paul Bartels, a friend of Agisilaos Demetriades, brother of actor Arjun Rampal’s partner Gabriella, was arrested on November 12, 2020. He became the first accused to be discharged in the case. All accused are out on bail.
The court concluded that the evidence presented was insufficient to frame charges against Bartels and discharged him from the case.
The NCB’s investigation into drug use in the Hindi film industry was part of a broader probe into the circumstances surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput’s death in June 2020.
Mahesh Jadhav, special judge for cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, allowed his application on August 9. The detailed order became available on Wednesday.