A four-year plus legal battle ended for Provogue owner Salil Chaturvedi on April 3 after a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court judge AT Amlekar acquitted him as they didn't find evidence against him.
A four-year plus legal battle ended for Provogue owner Salil Chaturvedi on Friday after a special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court judge AT Amlekar acquitted him as they didn't find evidence against him.
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When MiD DAY spoke to Salil Chaturvedi, he seemed relieved, yet was agitated over how the entire investigation was carried out. He said, "I am glad that my sufferings are over and my faith in the judicial system has prevailed. But I am sad that it would be difficult to wipe out the blot on my family."
Chaturvedi was in the custody for 26 days after he was arrested on August 2, 2005 after police allegedly found 3 grams of Cocaine inside the toilet.
He was called for first round of routine questioning by the police on June 30 before arresting him on August 2. "I have already approached the court against the concerned police officers as they had framed me."
Chaturvedi added, "I voluntarily went to the police station for my second round of routine questioning and by noon I was arrested. It was only then that the police raided my house, went inside a toilet in the living room and kept a substance. Until now they claimed that I was arrested because they found drugs in my house, which has been proved false."
Now that he is acquitted, Chaturvedi is looking forward to the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. "When I was being blackmailed and framed in the case, no political leader or party came forward to support me. Yet, I will exercise my right to vote this time. I believe that the system is suffering only because of a few errant officers and politicians, but I still trust our legal system," added Chaturvedi.
The case
On 26 January, 2005, Provogue's Manager Vishal Meghlani was arrested from the city airport for possession of Cocaine.
Meghlani then told the police that Salil Chaturvedi, film Director Ken Ghosh and Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan were his clients.
The police arrested Chaturvedi and raided his residence where they allegedly recovered the drug from his bathroom.
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