Popular Hindi comedian and actress Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya were arrested on Saturday after the Narcotics Control Bureau recovered 86.5 gm of ganja from their residence at Andheri in Mumbai. With the couple's arrest shocking the entertainment world, it is now being reported that their bail pleas will be heard on Monday - a day after they were sent to judicial custody till December 4 in the drug scandal controversy. Having said that, it is also being stated that it might get postponed as the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is also expected to file its replies on the bail pleas. Speaking to news agency ANI, Special public prosecutor Atul Sarpande said, "As I am busy with other cases today, we will request for some other date of argument."

According to reports, Bharti Singh and her husband Harsh Limbachiya could be jailed up to a period of six months along with a fine of Rs 10,000 being imposed for the possession of ganja. The NCB in a statement said both Bharti and Harsh admitted to having consumed ganja. The couple had filed their bail pleas through their advocate Ayaz Khan after the court had issued the order in which they requested to be released saying they do not have any criminal records and hence there was no question of them absconding. 

The NCB pursued Limbachiya's custody during the hearing for further questioning, but did not try to get Bharthi Singh into custody and told that she may be sent to judicial custody. In response, their lawyer Ayaz Khan argued that they need not be detained for custodial interrogation as the alleged substance recovered is lesser than than what the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act prescribes (up to 1,000 gm of ganja is considered a small quantity). The magistrate accepted the arguments and noted that custodial interrogation was not required and that the accused have already been questioned for a considerable time on Saturday. 

Bharti Singh and Harsh Limbachiya have been booked under sections 20(b)(ii)(A) (involves small quantities of drugs) and 8(c) (possession of drugs) and 27 (consumption of drugs) of the NDPS Act. They were arrested by the NCB who acted on a tip-off and conducted a search at their residence and house after their name was revealed by a drug peddler. The NCB has been actively carrying the investigation into the alleged drug use in Bollywood - an issue that came to prominence after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14. Bharti Singh is a known face in the comedy and TV reality show circuit, while also having hosted a few such shows and Harsh Limbachiya is a screenwriter and a lyricist.