Aryan Khan has been granted bail after three weeks in jail, by the Bombay High Court.

The 23-year-old son of Shah Rukh Khan has been in custody since October 3, hours after raids on a cruise ship party by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Aryan Khan, who has been in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail since October 8, had been denied bail twice before.

His lawyers had repeatedly pointed out that no drugs had been found on him.

The NCB, however, argued that he was part of a conspiracy and that his WhatsApp chats revealed his involvement in illicit drug dealings.

Aryan Khan's friend Arbaaz Merchant, and model Munmum Dhamecha, were also granted bail.

Aryan Khan's arrest and denial of bail had sparked a debate over whether it was justified, given there was no evidence of consumption or recovery of drugs in his case.

Aryan Khan's father Shah Rukh Khan is one of India's biggest and most-loved movie stars.

Scores of fans gathered outside the Khans' Mumbai home, "Mannat", for days, to show their support. In the film industry, the support was more muted, with a few like Salman Khan, Farah Khan, and Hrithik Roshan showing their solidarity with SRK.

Aryan Khan's defence team included former Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, who argued his case before the Bombay High Court.

Mr Rohatgi said his arrest was a direct infringement of his constitutional guarantees and that he was never given any reason for his custody.

BDST: 1749 HRS, OCT 28, 2021
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