A special court has discharged Australian national Paul Bartels from a drug case linked to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, stating that there was no material evidence to prove his involvement.

Bartels, a friend of Agisilaos Demetriades (brother of Gabriella, actor Arjun Rampal’s partner), was arrested on November 12, 2020, and became the first accused to be discharged. Special NDPS Judge Mahesh Jadhav granted his discharge application on August 9, with the detailed order released Wednesday.

Bartels’ defense argued that his arrest was based solely on the statements of co-accused Agisilaos Demetriades and Nikhil Saldhana, and that no incriminating evidence was found during the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) search of his residence. The court concurred, noting that no independent material on record established a link between Bartels and the co-accused.

The NCB alleged that Bartels purchased drugs from individuals connected to actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, and the late Sushant Singh Rajput. Despite these claims, the court emphasized that aside from statements from co-accused, there was no admissible evidence tying Bartels to the incident, leading to his discharge.

The NCB had initiated a probe into alleged drug use in Bollywood following Rajput's death in June 2020, while the CBI continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding his demise.