LI Network
Published on: 28 April 2023 at 14:18 IST
Sooraj Pancholi, a film star and the boyfriend of the late actor Jiah Khan, has been acquitted of charges of abatement almost 10 years after her death by suicide.
Jiah Khan, who was 25 years old, was found hanging in her Juhu home in Mumbai on June 3, 2013. Sooraj Pancholi was arrested by the police after a six-page letter, supposedly written by Jiah, was discovered and he was charged with abetment of suicide. Jiah’s mother, Rabia Khan, had argued that her daughter was murdered.
However, due to a lack of evidence, Sooraj Pancholi has been acquitted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court judge, AS Sayyad.
Sooraj Pancholi, who is the son of Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, could have faced up to 10 years in jail if he was found guilty.
His mother was present in court when the verdict was announced. Sooraj was initially arrested in June 2013 and released on bail in July of the same year. Jiah’s mother, Rabia Khan, was a significant witness for the prosecution in the case and had previously claimed that her daughter was murdered, not a victim of suicide.
The Bombay High Court dismissed her plea for a fresh investigation last year. Following the latest verdict, Rabia Khan reaffirmed that her daughter was killed, and she intends to approach the high court to pursue the matter further.
The Jiah Khan suicide case has had a long and complex timeline. Recently, Judge AS Sayyad heard the final arguments from both sides and reserved his judgment. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that the letter found by the Mumbai police, which initially investigated the case, was written by Jiah Khan herself.
The note detailed alleged physical abuse and torture at the hands of her boyfriend, Sooraj Pancholi, which ultimately led to her suicide. Sooraj Pancholi made his final statement to the court on April 12, 2023, stating that he had been falsely accused and was actually a victim of false prosecution and persecution.
He expressed that he was deeply affected by Jiah’s death and had lost the most important person in his life, the woman he truly loved.
