Twitter was flooded with memes and reactions from celebrities and fans as soon as news of Aryan Khan’s bail being granted by Bombay High Court hit the internet.
Although superstar Shah Rukh Khan was all smiles as he posed with the legal team who obtained bail for his son Aryan, his fans and followers gathered outside his sea-facing bungalow Mannat (Prayer) and let off firecrackers as they rejoiced and showered his family with support.
Netizens celebrated Aryan's bail on social media under the handle #WelcomeHomeAryanKhan, and applauded Bombay High Court's decision, as many believed he was wrongly jailed and harassed in this case.
Though many celebrities expressed their joy on social media about Aryan's bail, many netizens were still burning with indignation and insisted that this is not the end and the high court must consider the harassment Aryan suffered because he was refused bail by special courts.
Several netizens shared memes on how Aryan’s parents Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan would react at his return home from jail after three weeks.
Calling it the "biggest release of 2021", netizens predicted that Aryan would be welcomed home in true Bollywood style.
After being tipped off about the cruise party, the NCB conducted a raid on 2 October and arrested Aryan and his friends Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ishmeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhokar, and Gomit Chopra.
They were jailed on 3 October for allegedly possessing and consuming drugs on a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai.
Although Aryan's lawyer claimed that he had simply been invited to the event by the party organisers and that no drugs were recovered from him, NCB officer Sameer Wankhede said there was evidence to the contrary.
So far, the NCB has arrested as many as 20 people.
Aryan and the other defendants were in jail since 8 October.
Sameer Wankhede, the NCB officer investigating the case, has been accused of extortion, fraud, and framing Aryan and others by Maharashtra State Minister Nawab Malik.
Meanwhile, a special team of NCB officers from New Delhi is now investigating the allegations against Sameer Wankhede and the drug raid carried out at the beginning of October.