Aryan Khan held an extra day after paperwork error delays bail in drugs case

Members of the media wait for the release of Aryan Khan – son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan – outside the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai. AFP

Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, was not released from a Mumbai jail on Friday after his lawyers failed to meet prison paperwork deadlines.

Mr Khan, 23, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Thursday after his arrest by India’s Narcotics Control Bureau during a raid on Cordelia cruise liner as it sailed to Goa from Mumbai on October 2.

Shah Rukh Khan went to the high-security Arthur Road Jail to collect him but the paperwork could not be completed and sealed documents were not delivered before the prison deadline.

He is likely to be released on Saturday.

Television footage showed the star and his team reaching the jail as hundreds of fans descended on his bungalow to celebrate Mr Khan’s release from jail after 26 days.

Mumbai was the site of several street celebrations after scores of the actor’s fans set off fire crackers after the court order on Thursday.

Mr Khan’s case has gripped the nation for several weeks with television channels running non-stop coverage of the case.

On Friday, the court set out 14 conditions for his bail, including a personal bond of 100,000 rupees ($1,335) and barred him from leaving the country.

The youngster had returned to India in March 2020 after graduating from the University of Southern California in the US.

“They shall not attempt to influence any witness in the case, [the] accused shall not make any statement in any form in the media,” the court order said.

The court asked him to present himself before the investigators every Friday and to seek police permission should he wish to leave Mumbai.

Mr Khan and seven others were arrested during the raid on the cruise ship and are accused of sale, consumption, procuring banned substances, and conspiracy under India’s anti-narcotics laws.

The NCB claimed to have recovered small quantities of banned substances from the suspects during the raid, although no drugs were found on Mr Khan, according to court documents.

The bureau had argued that they found incriminating WhatsApp chats on Mr Khan’s mobile phone, linking him to an international drug ring and pleaded that the high-profile suspect could tamper with evidence.

Last week his bail petition was rejected by a lower court after observing that his WhatsApp chats on first impression linked him to a nexus of drug suppliers and peddlers.