New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) exonerated Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, and five others on Friday, while charging 14 others in a drugs case involving the raid on the yacht Cordelia in Mumbai on October 2.

In March, HT exclusively reported that an NCB Special Investigation Team (SIT) found no evidence that Aryan Khan was involved in a larger drugs conspiracy or an international trafficking ring, and that the raid in which he was arrested had several irregularities.

The SIT, led by Sanjay Kumar Singh, re-examined the case and determined that there is insufficient evidence to pursue it. It was formed after allegations that Aryan Khan was involved in extortion and attempts to extort money surfaced.

“The SIT conducted its investigation in a fair and objective manner. The standard has been set by the principle of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A complaint [charge sheet] has been filed against 14 people under various sections of the NDPS [Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances] Act based on SIT’s investigation. “Due to a lack of sufficient evidence, a complaint against the remaining six individuals will not be filed,” NCB said in a statement. Except for Aryan Khan and another person, the rest of the accused were found in possession of drugs when the raid took place, according to the agency.

Aryan Khan’s lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, said his client’s arrest and 26-day detention were unjustified, especially since drugs were not found in his possession. “…no evidence of any kind was found.” There was no evidence of any kind of law violation, let alone the NDPS Act. We are pleased that [the SIT]…investigated the case objectively and determined that there was insufficient evidence to file a complaint [charge-sheet] against Aryan Khan.”

Priyanka Chaturvedi, a member of the ruling Shiv Sena, said the truth had won out and slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for attempting to demonise Maharashtra by misusing central agencies in such cases.

NCB must have explained its position in the charge sheet why Aryan Khan was arrested and why he was in jail, according to BJP leader Madhav Bhandari. “It is their responsibility to explain.” He went on to say that what Maharashtra’s ruling parties say is irrelevant. “Targeting us [the BJP] on every issue is their main business.”

In an exclusive report published in March, HT reported that, contrary to NCB’s Mumbai unit’s allegations, the SIT’s key findings included the fact that Aryan Khan was never in possession of drugs. As a result, there was no need for him to take out his phone and check his messages. Khan was not mentioned in the chats as being a member of any international gang.

The raid on the yacht was not videotaped as required, and the drugs seized from multiple suspects arrested in the case were listed as a single find.

The raid was carried out by NCB’s former Mumbai Zonal Unit director Sameer Wankhede, who has since been repatriated to his parent cadre. On the night of October 2, Wankhede led a team of officers and some witnesses to the International Cruise Terminal at Green Gate in Mumbai to raid the cruise ship. The vessel was seized with 13 grammes of cocaine, five grammes of mephedrone, 21 grammes of marijuana, 22 MDMA (Ecstasy) pills, and $1.33 lakh in cash.

The preliminary findings of the SIT probe corroborated the observations of the Bombay high court, which granted Khan bail on October 28 last year. “There is no evidence to suggest [the] existence of any conspiracy,” the court said.

All of the arrested people, witnesses, and officials from NCB’s Mumbai unit who took part in the raid with Wankhede were questioned by SIT as part of the investigation. Khan never asked his friend Arbaaz Merchant to bring drugs on the cruise, according to the report. A separate vigilance investigation is looking into the procedural lapses.

The cruise ship’s 14 passengers were apprehended by NCB. It arrested Aryan Khan, 24, Merchant, 26, and Munmum Dhamecha, 28, on the afternoon of October 3 after hours of interrogation. The agency then arrested 17 more people in connection with the raid.

Wankhede’s team claimed the accused were part of a larger conspiracy based on WhatsApp chats. It was claimed that Aryan Khan had been in contact with a foreign drug supplier, and that the conversations involved “hard drugs” and “bulk quantities.”

NCB’s claims were dismissed by the high court, which noted that there was no evidence of a conspiracy. It stated that the mere fact that Aryan Khan and others were on the cruise together could not be considered a basis for a conspiracy. NCB’s claim that Khan and Merchant told agency officials they were going to consume the six grammes of marijuana was also rejected by the court.

A key NCB witness, Prabhakar Sail, claimed Wankhede was involved in a $25 million extortion scheme aimed at Khan. He claimed that he was forced to sign blank sheets of paper.