Karnataka HC stays criminal proceedings against Telugu actor Kolla Hema

Bengaluru: High Court of Karnataka has temporarily stayed proceedings against Telugu actor Kolla Hema in a case of alleged drug use at a rave party near Electronics City here in May 2024.

Justice Hemant Chandangoudar issued the interim stay following a petition filed by Hema, 52, challenging the charge sheet filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The stay will remain in effect until the court resumes hearing the case after four weeks.

The court’s decision on Tuesday followed the arguments of Hema’s counsel, who said the charges under Section 27(b) of the NDPS Act — pertaining to the consumption of narcotic substances — were based solely on the confession of a co-accused.

The advocate argued there was no independent evidence to confirm that Hema had consumed any banned substances.

The case was registered after the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru raided a rave party. Multiple attendees were arrested after testing positive for narcotics or psychotropic substances in their blood samples, police said. Hema is alleged in the charge sheet to have consumed MDMA, a synthetic drug.