A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai gave its verdict on the death of actress Jiah Khan on Friday. Sooraj Pancholi, the actor accused of abetting Jiah Khan’s suicide, was acquitted in the case. He was present in the CBI court when the verdict was announced.
As per HT, judge AS Sayyed of a special CBI court in Mumbai said, “Due to paucity of evidence, this court can’t hold you (Sooraj Pancholi) guilty, hence acquitted.”
Jiah, well known for her role in Nishabd alongside Amitabh Bachchan, was found dead at her Mumbai residence on June 3, 2013. She was 25 years old. Based on a letter purportedly written by her that was seized a week later, Mumbai Police charged Sooraj Pancholi with section 306 (abetment to suicide) and arrested him. In the letter, she had allegedly talked about her troubled relationship with Soora, claiming that he physically and emotionally abused her.
Despite the fact that Sooraj’s bail plea was denied by a Mumbai court, he was granted bail on July 1, 2013 after he signed a bond of ₹50,000. The court acquitted Sooraj Pancholi on July 2 and said he was not responsible for Jiah Khan’s suicide. Rabia Khan, the late actor’s mother, requested the court for a thorough and detailed investigation after she was not happy with the court’s judgement. The case was moved from Mumbai Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) around a year after Jiah Khan’s death by the Bombay High Court.
