Rhea Chakraborty got relief after a Mumbai court allowed her bank accounts to be unfrozen. These accounts belonged to her, her brother Showik and mother Sandhya, and were frozen during the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
The family had gone to court to get access to more accounts in ICICI, Axis and Kotak banks. They said the accounts were mostly joint and should not stay frozen.
This case has again brought focus on the legal matter and how it has affected Rhea’s personal and work life over the years.
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The court finds procedural lapses
According to NDTV reports, the accounts were frozen by the Narcotics Control Bureau in 2020 under the NDPS Act. While some were released earlier, a few were still blocked, so the family went to court again.
The plea was filed by advocates Ayaz Khan and Zehra Charania and was about bank accounts that were mostly shared by family members. They argued that the NCB did not follow the rules of Section 68F of the NDPS Act, which makes such freezing illegal if proper steps are not taken. This law says that if accounts are frozen in such cases, it must be approved by a proper authority within a fixed time.
As per NDTV reports, Advocate Ayaz Khan told the court that this rule was not followed for the four accounts. The prosecution, led by Geeta Nayyar, opposed this and said Rhea Chakraborty was allegedly linked to a drug network, so freezing was justified. But Judge UC Deshmukh said the legal process was not followed and such orders must be confirmed within 30 days to stay valid.
In its order, the judge stated, "The NCB does not deny that there is no compliance of Sub-section (2) of Section 68F of the Act. There is no order as contemplated to be passed under such provisions of Act. Therefore, in view of the observations of the Hon'ble High Court in Jatinder (supra) and provisions of Section 68F of the Act, the application is liable to be allowed."
Arguments from both sides
The prosecution opposed the plea, saying Rhea Chakraborty was allegedly linked to a drug network based on investigation statements, which justified freezing the accounts. However, the court focused more on whether proper legal steps were followed rather than the allegations.
Advocate Ayaz Khan argued that the required legal process was not followed for the four accounts, making their freezing illegal. After this, the court allowed access to the accounts, though the family has not given any official response yet.
Rhea’s comeback and personal reflections
Apart from legal relief, Rhea Chakraborty is preparing for a comeback with filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s upcoming series. She revealed that she was initially hesitant to return to acting but later changed her mind.
According to NDTV reports, she said, "Hansal sir and the writer asked me what was stopping me. I told them I had left acting and they said that's all the more reason I should do it because it does not matter whether I do well or not. Now I'm glad I said yes, it was different coming on set, such a long life has been lived in the last seven years. It's like cycling, something you never forget."
She also spoke emotionally about the support she received from close friends during difficult times. "My girlfriends have shown me what true friendship is. To be loved for no reason and at the cost of their lives and livelihoods being in trouble is phenomenal," she said, especially mentioning Shibani Dandekar as “like a sister.”
She concluded by saying, "I'm grateful to have such women in my life, who lift each other up. On one hand I saw the worst side of humans but on the other side I also experienced the most beautiful side of humanity."
The court’s decision marks an important moment in the long-running case.
