After so much of uproar and many television debates and pressure by media finally, Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case is handed over to CBI. The investigating agency, which was once termed as a “caged parrot” by the Supreme Court, had been left red-faced by the courts in many high-profile cases, putting a question mark over the probe conducted by it. CBI team has reached Mumbai to investigate actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. The central probe agency will examine the autopsy and forensic reports, and the actor’s flat in suburban Bandra. They will recreate the death scene Can with the help of forensic experts. Whether the agency will be able to solve the case is a big question. The Mumbai Police, on the other hand, has refused to surrender to Bihar Police’s position that it should be allowed to carry out an investigation of its own. The Mumbai Police maintains that the Bihar Police is investigating a matter that is outside its jurisdiction. The CBI, after the Supreme Court upheld the Bihar government’s move, is now gearing up to probe actor Sushant Rajput’s controversial death for which actress Rhea Chakraborty has been named prime accused of abetting his suicide.
The agency has so far investigated a handful of such cases. In none of them, the CBI could prove that the suspect(s) drove the deceased to suicide. Apart from Rajput’s, the agency is currently investigating Bollywood actress Jiah Khan’s death in which Sooraj Pancholi stands charged for abetting her suicide. The CBI filed a chargesheet in the case but nothing much has moved in the trial since 2017. Khan’s mother Rabea believes her daughter was murdered. She accuses police of botching up the initial probe under what she calls was pressure from some top Bollywood celebrities.
Majeed Memon, who is a former Rajya Sabha member and a prominent lawyer, said “If we look at CBI’s track record for the so-called politically hyped 2G scam to Dabholkar murder, so far nothing is so convincing that they came up with. On many occasions, Supreme Courts have shown dissatisfaction in their inability to probe the cases”. Just because this death is overhyped, CBI is probing it. Let’s see how far they dig the truth and please all those having different insights.”
The tug of war has been going on between the governments of Bihar and Maharashtra over the case. Maharashtra has been contending that Bihar had no jurisdiction in the matter since the death took place in Mumbai. Mumbai Police have so far recorded statements of 56 people including Sushant Singh Rajput’s sisters, his friend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and some other film personalities in connection with his death. Sushant’s father KK Singh on July 25 lodged a complaint with Patna police against Chakraborty and her family members, accusing them of abetting the actor’s suicide. An FIR has been registered by Patna police against Rhea Chakraborty and others under various IPC sections.
Majid Memon also said, “Secrecy has to be maintained when a crime is at the investigation stage. Publicizing every development in the process of collecting vital evidence adversely affects the interest of truth and justice,” he added.
Justice Hrishikesh Roy directed the Mumbai Police to hand over the case records and evidence to the central agency and asked the Maharashtra government to cooperate in the investigation. The court’s judgement was based on a plea filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty to transfer a first information report of abetment to suicide registered against her in connection with the death of Rajput from Patna to Mumbai.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh said, “The law is clear. If the incident has not happened in our jurisdiction, we register a ‘zero’ First Information Report (FIR), and transfer it.”
“We are awaiting a copy of the order once we get it, we will examine it and decide further course of action. We have asked our advocates in the Supreme Court to send us a copy at the earliest,” he added.
This was also the argument that Rhea Chakraborty’s lawyer made before the Supreme Court while challenging the power of the Bihar government to recommend CBI probe into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.
