Maharashtra on Monday reported 1,485 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily count in more than 17 months, and 27 fresh deaths, taking the infection tally to 65,93,182 and the toll to 1,39,816. No fresh cases were reported in several districts. Over 2,000 patients recovered from the virus, while over 28,000 cases are currently active.
Covid-19 induced restrictions are being gradually eased in Maharashtra as the number of cases is on the decline. Chief Minister’s Office has said that amusement parks, auditoriums, and theaters in the state will be opened from October 22. It also added that the guidelines for extending the hours of restaurants and shops across the state will be out soon.
In another news, a Shiv Sena leader has moved the Supreme Court seeking judicial enquiry into affairs of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at Mumbai and its officials in the wake of the arrest of Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in a case of alleged seizure of drugs from a cruise ship in Mumbai. The petition has urged the apex court to take suo moto cognizance to protect the fundamental rights of Aryan who has been booked under the NDPS Act by NCB, Zonal Office, Mumbai.
On the other hand, there are clear similarities in the two alleged drug busts by the Narcotics Control Bureau in Mumbai over the past year, involving actor Rhea Chakraborty and Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan. In neither case was the central agency able to show any drug seizures on Aryan or Rhea, nor did it carry out blood tests on either of them to determine whether they had consumed drugs. In both cases, the NCB detained the two suspects, got access to their mobile phones, and used material stored in the devices, including deleted WhatsApp chats, to arrest them.