The Central government has accepted Bihar government’s recommendation to initiate a CBI (Centra Bureau of Investigation) probe in actor Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The SC was hearing a plea filed by Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty seeking transfer of her case registered in Patna to Mumbai.
Sushant’s unnatural death has opened a can of worms and the case is getting murkier day by day. Meanwhile, the SC also lashed out at the Mumbai police for forcibly quarantining a Bihar IPS officer who had gone to Mumbai to investigate Sushant’s case. “As of now, perhaps Mumbai police have registered a case of unnatural death. FIR in Patna has raised certain other issues also. This case has hogged too much media time and attention. For police personnel to be quarantined does not send a good message. Are you sending the right message? So many eyes are on the Bihar police and Mumbai police and the courts,” the SC said. Justice Hrishikesh Roy who was hearing the plea has asked the parties involved to file their response in three days. The SC has also ordered the Maharashtra government to inform the court about the investigations done by Mumbai Police into Rajput’s death.
Earlier, Sushant’s father had filed an FIR against actress Rhea Chakraborty and 5 other in Patna. In her plea filed in the SC, Rhea said that a close relative of the deceased actor was an ADG in Haryana police and there was a possibility of influencing the filing of an FIR in Patna and future proceedings. While defending herself, she said that she was in a year long relationship with Sushant and was herself in the state of trauma due to the incident. Appearing for the actress in the SC, senior advocate Shyam Divan requested the court to transfer investigation of the case from Patna to Mumbai and also requested to put a stay on any coercive action against Rhea Chakraborty.
The case has now turned into a battle between two states due to continuous tussle and mudslinging between the Mumbai police and the Bihar police. Defending Mumbai police, senior advocate Basant said,” “Somebody who has not even filed a complaint before the Mumbai Police is claiming they are not doing proper investigation. Mumbai Police has been thoroughly investigating. Bihar police has no right to sit in judgement of our investigation” To his reply, advocate Vikas Singh who was appearing for Sushant Singh’s father sought full cooperation for Patna Police in their probe.
Questions have been raised on Sushant’s girlfriend but Rhea Chakraborty has claimed that she was innocent, citing that she was questioned for hours by Mumbai Police and they haven’t attributed any culpable role to her so far. She said that she joined the proceedings in Mumbai and fully cooperated with the investigation, and called the case filed in Patna entirely misconceived and intended to harass her. However, the Supreme Court will hear the plea within a week.