527: Has SSR Probe Stooped Down to Sexism&Conflating Cannabis Use? - a podcast by The Quint

A day after she was arrested by the NCB on drug charges related to the Sushant Singh Rajput case, actor Rhea Chakraborty was shifted from the NBC office to Mumbai's Byculla Jail, where she will be kept on remand for 14 days.

Far from the initial investigations on abetment to suicide or siphoning off funds from Rajput's accounts that had kickstarted the whole probe in the first place, the focus has lately shifted to a drug angle. After being hounded by no less than three investigative agencies, the newest allegations against Rhea are now not about possessing or consuming cannabis but on aiding and financing cannabis procurements for her late boyfriend.



Along with vicious attacks over alleged drug consumptions, as Rhea simultaneously also faces a misogynistic smear campaign online and on news channels, her colleagues from Bollywood — actors and filmmakers are pledging support for her by putting up a message on "smashing the patriarchy” on social media.

But as the case steers away from facts to sexist vilification of her character and questions on cannabis consumption, let's talks about these two things in more detail.

What does the law say about marijuana regulations in India and what are the arguments supporting its legalisation? Secondly, do Rhea and others like her who are targets of sexist hate campaigns on public platforms have any legal recourse? Tune in to The Big Story!



Producer and Host: Shorbori Purkayastha

Guests: 

Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor

Nidhi Khanna, Delhi-based lawyer

Neha Singhal, Legal Researcher at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz



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