Hyderabad: Telangana high court on Thursday denied interim relief to the brother of a popular actress in a drug case registered at the Masab Tank police station. Justice Tirumala Devi Eada refused to quash the FIR or grant protection from arrest at this stage, posting the matter for further hearing to Jan 19.During the hearing, the accused person’s counsel argued that the petitioner was named only as a consumer in the FIR and chargesheet. He noted that under the NDPS Act, the punishment for consumption is limited to a year of imprisonment or counselling, which remains a matter for the trial court. The defence also claimed he was being harassed by police, asserting that UPI transactions totalling 40,000 were legitimate business payments related to real estate dealings rather than drug purchases.The additional public prosecutor refuted these claims, describing the financial transactions with key accused individuals as strong evidence of involvement. Citing Supreme Court guidelines, the prosecution argued that the accused must cooperate with the ongoing investigation and face trial.The case, which includes charges under the NDPS Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was initiated in Dec 2024. While police labelled the accused as absconding, they reported the seizure of cocaine and MDMA from other accused persons in the same case.
