In a significant development on Thursday, a court handed a setback to the excise department by dismissing the 2018 Tollywood drugs case, citing a dearth of substantial evidence. The blow comes as the state government, under the BRS regime, had established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe drug-related activities within the Telugu film industry, leading to the registration of eight cases. However, the court's ruling resulted in the dismissal of six of these cases, as the bench emphasized the absence of proper evidence and the failure to adhere to prescribed procedural norms in the drug case.

Earlier investigations involved the excise department taking samples of nails and hair from actor Tarun and director Puri Jagannath, sending them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The FSL report, however, revealed no traces of drugs in their bodies.Prominent Telugu film celebrities, including Puri Jagannath, Charmi, Tarun, Navadeep, Ravi Teja, Shyam K Naidu, Mumait Khan, and Tanish, were implicated in the case. The recent revelation of the drug test reports for Puri Jagannadh and hero Tarun, showing negative results, played a pivotal role in the court's decision to dismiss the case. The FSL examination conclusively stated the absence of drug traces in their bodies, reinforcing the lack of foundation for the charges.

Despite this legal resolution, occasional brushes with drug-related controversies persist within the film industry. Recently, a minor actress named Lavanya was arrested for possessing 4 grams of MDMA, with suspicions of her involvement in drug transactions with notable Tollywood figures. The investigation into this matter is ongoing, underscoring the continued vigilance and scrutiny surrounding the industry's association with drugs. Now that the verdict came out regarding drugs case in Tollywood and Tollywood celebrities, those associated with the industry can heave a sigh of relief as all these days, people started accusing Tollywood becoming the drugs den.