In a major relief to actor Sooraj Pancholi, son of senior actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, a special CBI court on Friday cleared him of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend-actor Jiah Khan in 2013 due to “paucity of evidence”. Jiah had died by suicide at her Juhu home on June 3, 2013 and Sooraj was booked under Section 306 (abetment) of the Indian Penal Code.
Delivering his verdict, Judge AS Sayyed of the special CBI court in Mumbai said, “Due to paucity of evidence, this court can’t hold you (Sooraj) guilty, hence acquitted.” Soon after the hearing began, the court pushed the order by a few hours after the complainant, Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan, said she wanted to file written arguments.
The trial began in 2019 and the CBI examined 22 witnesses, including Rabia. Rabia, through multiple pleas filed before various courts including the Supreme Court, asked for Sooraj to face charges of murder, claiming that Jiah did not die by suicide.
Even during the final arguments made on behalf of Rabia as an intervener in the case before the special CBI court, she had insisted that the offence against Sooraj should be that of murder and not abetment. The CBI said in its probe that there was no proof of murder.
Sooraj’s lawyer Prashant Patil said that the CBI could not prove any intention for him (Sooraj) to commit the offence. He also submitted that no witness had deposed stating that it was Sooraj who had instigated Jiah to kill herself. The CBI said that Jiah killed herself after Sooraj broke up with her and sent a bouquet indicating the end of their relationship. No defence witness was examined on behalf of Sooraj.
Earlier this month, the court recorded Sooraj’s statement under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code. He answered 558 questions based on the evidence presented before the court. He said that he was falsely implicated at the behest of Rabia. He also claimed that a false statement was given that he used to abuse Jiah.
When asked about the statement that Jiah and he had a good relationship in the beginning, Sooraj had said, “My relationship with Nafisa (Jiah Khan’s real name) was good throughout. I am not responsible for Nafisa’s death.”
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