Mumbai court grants bail to concert organiser arrested in drug overdose death case

While event organiser Akash Samal, who runs an artist and celebrity management firm, was granted bail, three other accused in the case were denied similar relief by the court set up under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act. The reasoned orders were not available yet.

A special court in Mumbai on Thursday granted bail to an an organiser of a techno concert at the suburban Goregaon that turned tragic after two MBA students, who attended the show, died due to a suspected drug overdose. While event organiser Akash Samal, who runs an artist and celebrity management firm, was granted bail, three other accused in the case were denied similar relief by the court set up under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The reasoned orders were not available yet. Two MBA students died and several others were hospitalized following a suspected drug overdose at a techno music concert at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon on April 11. Preliminary reports suggested the victims consumed MDMA (ecstasy) pills, causing severe symptoms like breathlessness and dizziness during the event. The concert was attended by 3,000-4,000 people and, according to reports, continued beyond permitted hours. A case has been registered against multiple individuals under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections related to culpable homicide and acts endangering life or personal safety. The accused have also been booked under the Maharashtra Alcohol Act and the NDPS Act. Six people, including event organizers and security staff of the exhibition centre, have been arrested until now. Samal, owner of ''Inspiring Tie Production'' and an organizer of the event, was arrested on April 13. He had sought bail primarily on the ground that his arrest was ''illegal and arbitrary'' and claimed to have no role in the distribution of drugs or the management of security at the venue. ''The role of the applicant (Samal) and his company was only limited to artist management and the same can be affirmed through the business agreement signed between NESCO (the company which operates the exhibition centre) and the applicant,'' the bail plea, filed through advocate Sakshi Mane, submitted. It asserted that NESCO had the sole and exclusive responsibility of ticket sales, food, alcohol/ beverages, sponsorship funds and any other ancillary acts. Further, the plea highlighted that NESCO was ''solely and exclusively entitled to collecting gross revenue and all money in relation to the event''. Hence, the allegation that Samal, along with NESCO, conspired to allow passage of drugs at the venue ''fails to inspire confidence to make out a case against the applicant, it argued.