Rahul Mahajan case: Chargesheet filed

Rahul Mahajan and five others were chargesheeted on Thursday in a drug abuse case with the prosecution accusing Mahajan with indulging in financing of illicit trafficking and possessing the contraband for personal consumption.

The chargesheet filed by Delhi police before the designated court of Additional Sessions Judge S N Gupta alleged that Rahul used the official 7, Safdarjung Road residence of his late father Pramod Mahajan for 'distribution and consumption of drugs by organising a party on the intervening night of June 1 and 2'.

He has also been accused of harbouring other offenders, the punishment for which ranges from 10 to 20 years.

The alleged drug peddler Sahil Zaroo from whom Rahul procured the cocaine has also been charged with having drug for personal consumption and indulging in trafficking.

Besides the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, an additional charge has been filed against Zaroo under the Indian Penal Code for cheating by impersonation as he had given the wrong name and address at a private hospital where he had gone for treatment after consuming the drug.

In the 25-page chargesheet, the police have said that investigation revealed that Vivek Moitra, Mahajan's close aide, who died after consuming the drugs, had also committed the same offence as Rahul.

Another close acquaintance, Harish Sharma along with Mahajan's servant Ganesh Kumar Sinha has been charged with destroying the evidence.

The chargesheet said that the two Nigerians -- Abdul Latif Ashola Mohd Abdulla and Egbedokun James Taiwo -- who are in Tihar Jail, have been accused of peddling drugs and separate cases under the Foreigners Act has been registered against them for living in India without valid documents.

However, their fellow countryman Ibirim Ugochukwu Ifeanyi alias David will not face the trial as there was not sufficient evidence against him, it said.

Filing the chargesheet on the concluding day of mandatory 60-days period, prosecution said, "It has been established that accused Vivek Moitra (since dead), Rahul Mahajan, Sahil Zaroo, Abdul Latif Ashola Mohd Abdulla and Egbedokun James Taiwo had jointly conspired to commit offences under various provisions of NDPS Act."

While stating that further investigation was in progress and supplementry chargesheet would be filed in due course, Delhi police alleged that Rahul and Zaroo did not co-operate in the probe of the case.

The chargesheet said prosecution was in favour of the 'brain mapping test' of the duo as they had not disclosed the facts which were in their knowledge.

The order of the Special Court for brain mapping test of the accused was stayed by the Delhi High Court.

Elaborating the sequence of events, prosecution blamed the doctors of Apollo Hospital, where Rahul and Moitra was taken for treatment of misleading the police.

"It has also been revealed that the doctors at the Apollo hospital have deliberately misled the police regarding the treatment and state of health of accused Rahul Mahajan," the chargesheet said, adding that on the order of the court separate case has been registered against the doctors and management of the private hospital.