Tollywood drugs case: Nampally court dismisses six out of eight cases; cites lack of evidence

The state’s Prohibition and Excise Department is now facing flak for not following standard procedures, according to the court.

Also Read: Telangana not a source of drugs, but a transit location

Telangana drugs case

This development marks a significant moment in the protracted legal saga that was the Tollywood drugs case.

Multiple cases were reported in Madhapur and Medchal in 2017, where the accused Calvin Mascarenhas — a musician associated with the Telugu-language film industry — was allegedly found transporting drugs worth ₹30 lakh from Mumbai and South Africa.

As the investigation progressed, potential connections to high-profile individuals were revealed.

The state’s Prohibition and Excise Department requested for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to delve deeper into the matter.

Those interrogated by the SIT included notable figures such as Puri Jagannadh, Tarun Kumar, Rakul Preet Singh, Mumaith, Ravi Teja, Baahubali actors Rana Daggubati and P Subbaraju, Charmme Kaur, Navadeep, Kajal Aggarwal’s former manager P Ronson Joseph, and cinematographer Shyam K Naidu.

All individuals underwent testing; hair and nail samples were sent to the FSL.

The case was taken up by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) due to alleged money laundering involved in the drug case and a few suspects, including Puri Jagannath, and Charmme Kaur, among others, were summoned by the ED.

Also Read: With over 29 lakh ‘drug users’, Telangana tops in South

Telangana drug menace

The Forum for Good Governance — a social services organisation based in Hyderabad with retired bureaucrats as members — has been fighting against the drug menace in the city.

Its President M Padmanabha Reddy told South First, Telangana has been focusing on combating the sale of drugs. I have been closely following the Tollywood drugs case, and I knew that the actors would be declared not guilty because I knew that members of the Movie Artistes’ Association had met with government officials.”

“The rising number of youth getting addicted to drugs and the recent seizures of ganja chocolates indicate that drugs are easily available in Telangana. We have submitted a representation on the drug menace to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and he has assured us that stringent action will be taken against it,” he added.

In August 2023, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment’s report, which was tabled in the Monsoon session of the Lok Sabha, revealed that Telangana, with a population of 3.5 crore, has over 29 lakh “drug users”.

Of these, the report said, 1.90 lakh adults are regular cannabis users, 5.47 lakh are using opioid drugs that include heroin and codeine, and 16.63 lakh are resorting to sedatives.

The report also revealed that 1.65 lakh adults were consuming “inhalants” in Telangana.

An estimated 2.79 lakh children are hooked on drugs in the state — the highest being opioids consumed by 98,000 children, said the report.