Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 8: A special NDPS court has ordered the discharge of Ramkumar Tiwari, a member of the family that owns the iconic South Mumbai shop Muchhad Paanwala, in a high-profile drugs case. The case also involved Sameer Khan, son-in-law of NCP leader Nawab Malik, who had passed away in November 2024 following an accident.
Tiwari, who was out on bail, was originally arrested in 2021 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai unit, then headed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede.
Special Judge S M Patil noted the absence of direct evidence linking Tiwari to the alleged crime and relied on a negative laboratory report for the seized material. “It has been shown that the material seized from [Tiwari] was sent for chemical analysis, and as per the government laboratory report, the vegetative material did not show any sign of containing the narcotic substance. Therefore, the grounds for discharge sought by the accused are accepted,” the judge said.
While the order was pronounced on October 3, the detailed judgment was made available on Monday.
Tiwari’s lawyer emphasized that he had no direct involvement in the crime, and the investigating officer found no evidence of collusion with other accused. The lab report confirmed that the alleged substance did not contain narcotics, supporting Tiwari’s discharge.
Earlier, NCB had claimed to have recovered 500 grams of cannabis extract from Tiwari under the NDPS Act. The extract, known as cannabinoids, can be mixed with tobacco for smoking. Tiwari’s name surfaced during the probe following the arrest of British national Karan Sajnani, after officials allegedly found ready-to-use joints in Sajnani’s Kemps Corner warehouse.
Other accused in the case included Rahila Furniturewala, former manager of an actor, and her sister Shaista Furniturewala, booked under Section 27A of the NDPS Act for allegedly financing illicit trafficking and harbouring offenders. Shaista had earlier submitted her death certificate in court.
Tiwari had been charged under NDPS Act Sections 8C (producing, possessing, selling, purchasing, or consuming narcotic drugs) and 22B (possession of quantity less than commercial but more than small quantity). With the court accepting the discharge application, Tiwari is no longer facing prosecution in this matter.