CBI court clears Sooraj Pancholi in Jiah Khan death case
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai gave its verdict in the long-running Jiah Khan suicide abetment case on Friday. Judge AS Sayyad found Khan's boyfriend-actor and prime accused Sooraj Pancholi not guilty. The Special CBI Court took over the case in 2021 after CBI confirmed that Khan passed away from hanging, ruling out the murder angle in 2015.
Why does this story matter?
The Khan-Pancholi case has been running for almost a decade and it has regularly captured media attention. Bollywood as an industry has seen several high-profile death cases in recent years. Be it the 2020 Sushant Singh Rajput death case or the 2022 Tunisha Sharma death case. In most such cases, a big section of the public has been unsatisfied with the proceedings.
From where it started
The Ghajini actor was aged 25 when she was found hanging in her bedroom. A suicide note was found where she had written about her troubled relationship with then-boyfriend Pancholi. Khan's mother Rabia accused Pancholi of abetment of suicide and stated that her daughter was in "serious depression" for some time. Following that, Pancholi was arrested by Mumbai Police.
Mumbai court acquitted Pancholi in 2013
In Khan's suicide note, she accused Pancholi of cheating and revealed that she had to undergo an abortion after being pregnant with his baby. In July 2013, the court denied Pancholi's involvement and acquitted him. The case's course changed when Rabia urged for a CBI investigation. The case was then taken over by the central body in 2014.
CBI took the case in 2014
CBI conducted a thorough investigation and filed a supplementary charge sheet accusing Pancholi of abetting Khan's suicide. Later, CBI ruled out the theory of murder and confirmed that Khan died by hanging. Rabia didn't lose hope and wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rabia's open letter to PM Modi
In 2017, Khan's mother Rabia wrote the above-mentioned open letter to PM Modi where she emphasized the inconsistent injuries on Khan's body. She stated, "CBI's independent forensic expert opinion is inconclusive and doesn't rule out either homicide or suicide." In 2021, the case was finally assigned to the Special CBI Court. Special Judge Sayyad heard the closing arguments on April 20.
Pancholi's career in Bollywood so far, upcoming projects
Pancholi hails from a high-profile family of Bollywood. His father is the veteran actor Aditya Pancholi and his mother is Zarina Wahab, an adept actor. Pancholi debuted in cinema in 2015 with Hero. His career so far has not been great, perhaps due to his public image after the suicide case details made headlines. His upcoming project is Hawa Singh.
