Actor Rhea Chakraborty. (Photo: Rhea Chakraborty/Instagram)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a plea filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty, seeking that the FIR registered against her in Bihar in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput’s death be transferred to Mumbai.
On July 25, Rajput’s father had filed an FIR in Patna against actor Rhea Chakraborty and five others, accusing them of abetment to suicide, cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement.
On Tuesday, Chakraborty’s lawyer, reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s recommending a CBI probe into Rajput’s death, said, “The petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty in Supreme Court that Bihar Police had no jurisdiction to investigate the case will continue to be heard. There cannot be a transfer to CBI of a case that had no legal basis for Bihar to get involved. At the most (what could have been registered in Bihar) is a zero FIR transferable to Mumbai Police.”
A senior officer said they will hear what the Bihar Police has to say in the Supreme Court and “will play it by the ear”. The officer, however, said that in the past, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh both have said that the Mumbai Police is capable enough to investigate the case, and there is no need to transfer it to the CBI.
Also on Tuesday, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray issued a statement denying any links with the case. “ There has been unnecessary mudslinging personally on me and Thackeray family in Sushant’s suicide case. This political grouse is because of their despondency. This attempt of playing politics over someone’s death is a blot on humanity,” he said.
Meanwhile, the probe of the Bihar Police SIT sent to Mumbai to investigate Rajput’s death has come to a halt.
On Sunday, Patna City (Central) SP Vinay Tiwari, who led the team, was put into home quarantine by the BMC and the other three members of the SIT were asked to remain indoors on Monday. Tiwari’s “selective quarantine” led to his superior officer, Patna IGP Sanjay Singh to write to BMC commissioner to seek a clarification. “Until the BMC replies and in light of the hearing in the Supreme Court, I have ordered the other members of the investigation team on Monday also to stay indoors.” — With ENS, Mumbai