Mukul Rohatgi told HC – no question of drugs or conspiracy in poker game in WhatsApp chats

The hearing in the Bombay High Court on Aryan Khan’s bail plea remained incomplete on Tuesday. When the hearing started late at 4:22 pm, only former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi could present his case in the court on behalf of Aryan Khan. During this, he categorically denied all the allegations of NCB. Said that neither any drugs have been recovered from Aryan nor he had consumed any intoxicant. The NCB neither got his medical test done nor in the Panchnama there is talk of confiscating the mobile. In such a situation, when Justice Nitin Sambre asked him what are these WhatsApp chats then, in response Rohatgi said that these chats are about the poker game. They have nothing to do with drugs or any conspiracy.

‘The talk in the chat is about the game of poker’
Mukul Rohatgi told the court, ‘First of all, the chats that NCB is talking about are two years old. He has nothing to do with the cruise case. There are some chats which are related to cruise. But it’s not my concern. I am saying that there is no case against me. A 17 year old young college kid. who was playing online poker with aryan khan. The messages that have been sent on the chat are showing the connection according to you. But this is nothing further than a discussion about poker games. When Aryan Khan was asked about the chat, he also told the agency that he knows him because of the online game. Nowadays online gaming is very much in trend. I am saying this because there are petitions challenging online games, of which I am a part. I am saying there is nothing in it to show that Aryan was smuggling illegally.

‘The conspiracy would not have happened when all the 20 people were in collusion’
Rohatgi, rejecting the allegations of conspiracy to smuggle Section 29 on behalf of the NCB, said, “The accused number 17 (Achit Kumar), was not on the cruise, which was named by Aryan Khan and the merchant. He was arrested from his house on October 6. The officers had received information that he had something. But he got it with 2.6 grams! After this maximum recovery you can add Arbaaz Merchant and accused No. 17 (Achit). But Aryan is not linked to anyone else. The conspiracy happens when all the 20 arrested people have already met and everyone’s mind is already matched.

‘Use of word like conspiracy in Panchnama is not correct’
Rohatgi further said, ‘Whatsapp shown was from 2018. None of the chats are related to cruise. There is no case where chat has anything to do with this case. Those chats, we have to check and prove them. The chat has nothing to do with the current case. Therefore, it is also not correct to use a word like conspiracy. I read Panchnama. For the purpose of conspiracy also let’s say 5-10 people had already decided that they would go to the ship. So it’s a matter of meeting the mind here. But what if the program is never made? There is reportedly talk of consumption. But there is no talk of smoking here, no party, only conscious possession in my case.

‘What does Arbaaz have, what does Aryan have to do with him’
Rohatgi said in the court, ‘NCB has spoken of conscious possession, because he was with Arbaaz and got 6 grams of charas from Arbaaz. But what does this mean for Aryan? He is a friend of Aryan. Arbaaz is not his servant. Aryan has no control over them. Now what does Arbaaz get from Arbaaz’s shoes, what to do with Aryan.’