A special CBI court in Mumbai gave its verdict in connection with the death of actor Jiah Khan. Accused of abetting Jiah’s suicide, actor Sooraj Pancholi was acquitted in the case. He was at the CBI court when the verdict was declared. Judge AS Sayyed of special CBI court in Mumbai said, “Due to paucity of evidence, this court can’t hold you (Sooraj Pancholi) guilty, hence acquitted.”
Best known for starring in ‘Nishabd’ opposite Amitabh Bachchan, Jiah was found dead at her home in Mumbai on June 3, 2013. She was 25. Based on a letter seized a week later, purportedly written by her, Mumbai Police had booked Sooraj Pancholi under section 306 (abetment to suicide), and he was arrested. In the letter she allegedly spoke about her troubled relationship with Sooraj, and said he physically and mentally abused her.
Sooraj was granted bail on July 1, 2013, after he signed a bond of Rs 50,000. On July 2, the court acquitted Sooraj Pancholi and said he was not accountable for Jiah Khan’s suicide. However, unhappy with the court’s judgment, the later actor’s mother, Rabia Khan requested the court for a thorough and detailed investigation. The Bombay High Court transferred the case from Mumbai Police to CBI a year after Jiah’s death.
Last year, Rabia had filed a fresh appeal in the Bombay High Court to reopen the nine-year-old case, alleging errors in the prior investigation conducted by the CBI. However, the Bombay High Court dismissed the petition filed by Rabia. In her plea, Rabia had alleged that her daughter was murdered and sought a fresh probe into the case by an independent and special agency with assistance from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).