In the latest development in the high-profile Hyderabad drugs bust case, Tollywood actor Charmee Kaur approached the Hyderabad High Court on Monday.
In her writ petition, the actor strongly objected to the drawing of blood samples by the investigators without informing the subjects about the charges or the purpose of the blood tests.
She also said that this was also in contravention to Article 20 (3) of the Indian Constitution.
The clause reads, “No person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.”
The case is likely to be heard on Monday evening or on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, actors Pallapollu Navdeep, Subburaju and director Puri Jagannath appeared before the SIT earlier on Monday.
These celebrities are part of the 12 Tollywood film industry members who have been asked by the SIT to appear before them for questioning by July 30. Those summoned for questioning include well-known director Puri Jagannadh, cinematographer Shyam K Naidu, art director Chinna and actors-Charmee Kau, Tarun, Nandu, Tanish, Ravi Teja, Navdeep, Subbaraju and Mumaith Khan.
The celebrities were summoned for questioning as their contact numbers were found in the call data of Calvin Mascrenhas, the kingpin of the racket. They were served notices under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The arrest of three alleged drug dealers, a musician named Calvin Mascrenhas, Abdul Quddos, a private employee, and student Abdul Wahab in early July led to the biggest ever drug bust in the city.
When investigators went through their phones, reading WhatsApp messages and emails, they were able to identify most of the customers of the drug racket. They found to their shock, that the customer base consisted of students from across institutions in the city.
The trio, along with others, had been supplying high-end drugs like LSD and MDMA to over 1,000 students – some as young as 13 – studying in 27 colleges and 26 schools across the city.
In a massive haul, the enforcement wing of the Excise and Prohibition department also seized 700 dots of LSD worth Rs 20 lakh and 35gm of MDMA worth Rs 1.4 lakh from the three peddlers.
Besides school children, the drug ring’s alleged customers also included several techies from top MNCs, and many film personalities from Tollywood.
The enforcement wing of the state’s excise department has so far arrested 13 accused, including US citizen Dundu Anish -- an aerospace engineer who had earlier worked with the NASA, and seven B.Tech graduates, most of whom were working for multinational companies.