NO CBI PROBE INTO SUSHANT’S DEATH: SC
FATHER, BIHAR GOVT FILE CAVEAT ON RHEA CHAKRABORTY’S PLEA
NEW DELHI/PATNA: The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down the demand for a probe by the CBI into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput even as his family and the Bihar government filed separate caveats to deny actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting the suicide, any immediate relief in the case.
The top court’s order came on a public interest litigation that asked for a court-monitored probe and said Rajput was a generous person who supported charities. But the bench, comprising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, wasn’t convinced. “This matter has nothing to do with the fact whether the person was good or bad. The case is being investigated by the Mumbai Police. We
are dismissing this petition,” the bench said. The 34-year-old actor was found dead in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14. Since then, Mumbai Police have questioned 45 people, including top directors and producers but the family of the actor – who hailed from Bihar – has remained unconvinced with the probe.
Last week, Rajput’s father KK
Singh filed a police complaint in Patna that accused Chakraborty and her family members of abetting the suicide, prompting Bihar Police to send a team of officers to Mumbai for the probe. Chakraborty and Rajput were in a live-in relationship. On Wednesday, Chakraborty filed a petition in the apex court asking the FIR to be transferred to Mumbai from
Bihar. She alleged that Rajput’s father used his influence to rope her into the case. But on Thursday, Rajput’s family filed a caveat seeking her petition not be heard without a notice or a hearing to the family. Later, Bihar government also filed a caveat and announced it hired senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi to oppose Chakraborty’s plea. Advocate Keshav Mohan appearing for Bihar, confirmed the development and said, “The Bihar government is a necessary party in this case as the petition by Chakraborty has challenged the jurisdiction of Bihar government to pursue the FIR lodged by KK Singh.” A caveat is a pre-emptive legal measure taken to ensure that a party doesn’t get any favourable order without a notice accorded to the opponent.
A senior Bihar government official said the administration might recommend CBI probe in the case.