No drugs consumed at party: Karan Johar's reply to NCB over viral video

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar, in his response to the notice issued by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has claimed that no drug was consumed during a party at his house last year, an official said on Friday (December 18).

The NCB had issued a notice to Johar over a viral video which showed several celebrities at a party hosted at his residence. After the video went viral, there were allegations that the celebrities had consumed drugs at the party.

“Johar was asked to give details of the party. Accordingly, the NCB on Friday, received a reply from him to the notice. In the reply, Johar maintained that no drug was consumed at the party,” an NCB official said.

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Johar’s lawyer visited NCB’s office in South Mumbai, on Friday and handed over the filmmaker’s written reply to the agency. Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Bureau, Sameer Wankhede, told NDTV they are they are “examining Johar’s reply.”

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa had sent the video to the NCB and his complaint was addressed to the agency’s Mumbai zonal unit, according to an official. Sirsa had claimed that he had earlier, in August last year, registered a complaint about this video with the Mumbai police, but no investigations was conducted.

Johar’s party video which was already in public domain was re-shared after the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput and the subsequent allegations of drugs charges against the actor’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and other Bollywood actors. Johar had issued a public statement after the video went viral. “These slanderous and malicious statements, news articles and news clippings have unnecessarily subjected me, my family, and my colleagues, and Dharma Productions, to hatred, contempt and ridicule,” he said.”I would like to unequivocally once again state that I do not consume narcotics and I do not promote or encourage consumption of any such substance,” Johar added.

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NCB began anti-drugs investigations involving the film industry in June this year. Last week, according to NCB sources, one of Mumbai’s “biggest” drugs suppliers had been detained and a list of his clients were recovered, which included many Bollywood celebrities.

Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakulpreet Singh, Shraddha Kapoor and Arjun Rampal have been questioned by NCB while Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, Showik, and comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa, were arrested over drug charges; all four of them were later granted bail.