Mumbai: A sessions court on Thursday rejected the bail pleas of three accused in the fatal drug overdose case, while granting relief to one of the alleged organisers of the music concert at Nesco, Akash Samal. The court denied bail to alleged drug suppliers Raunak Khandelwal and Pratik Pandey and senior executive of the exhibition centre, Sunny Jain. The detailed orders are yet to be made available.Seeking bail, Samal’s lawyer Sakshi Mane submitted that the role of Samal and his company was only limited to artist management. “Hence, the allegation that the applicant along with Nesco conspired to allow passage of drugs at the venue fails to inspire confidence to make out a case…,” his bail plea said. It was further submitted that Samal himself was a “victim” and a young businessman who was unaware of the acts committed by the guests or even about any involvement of Nesco in it.On April 11, a 28-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman—part of a group of 19 MBA students from a prestigious management institute—took ill after popping Ecstasy pills at a music concert held at Nesco in Goregaon (E). The duo died the next day while a third student was in hospital. Police then arrested two of their fellow students—Khandelwal and Pandey—for allegedly providing the drugs.
