Bombay High Court dismisses Mamta Kulkarni’s 2016 drug case due to insufficient evidence
Former actress Mamta Kulkarni marked her debut with Raaj Kumar and Nana Patekar’s 1992 film, Tirangaa. Mamta has worked in movies like Karan Arjun, Krantiveer, Waqt Hamara Hai, Sabse Bada Khiladi and more in the 1990s.
The actress, who has been away from the silver screens, was one of the accused in a 2016 drug trafficking case involving the seizure of Ephedrine worth ₹2,000 crore.
Bombay High Court quashes FIR against Mamta Kulkarni
In the latest development, Mamta Kulkarni’s case is finally dismissed by the Bombay High Court. The court on Monday said that it was quashing the First Information Report (FIR) against Mamta while citing a lack of evidence.
Reportedly, a bench comprising Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande struck down the criminal case while observing that there was no evidence against her. The court has yet to issue the detailed order, however, Mamta’s plea to quash the case will be allowed.
Mamta allegedly claimed before the court that she was “made a scapegoat in the drug scam”.
Mamta Kulkarni approached the high court in 2018
In 2018, Mamta Kulkarni approached the high court to quash the criminal proceedings against her. Mamta’s husband, Vicky Goswami is believed to be the mastermind of the racket who had manufactured and procured Ephedrine.
“Merely on the ground that the petitioner has some cordial relationship with co-accused Mr Vicky Goswami, Petitioner cannot be arraigned as accused,” her petition stated as per Hindustan Times.
All you need to know about the 2016 drug trafficking case
On April 12, 2016, Thane police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell department intercepted two cars and seized 2-3 kg of Ephedrine, a controlled substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
As per reports, the substance seized from two vehicles was worth around ₹80 lakh. 10 people including the drivers of the cars were arrested after police found out they procured the controlled substance from a factory in Solapur district.
Seven others, including the Karan Arjun actress, were listed as wanted. The police had stated that she was involved in a meeting held between one of the accused, her partner Vicky Goswami, and others at a hotel in Kenya.
In 2017, Goswami was held by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
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