Actor Sooraj Pancholi has been acquitted of charges of abetting the suicide of actress Jiah Khan by a Mumbai Special CBI Court. This comes almost 10 years after Jiah was found dead in her Mumbai flat in Sagar Sangeet apartments, Juhu, in June 2013. Sooraj, the son of veteran actor couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, was arrested and charged with abetment to suicide soon after.
Jiah was an American citizen who was reportedly in a relationship with Sooraj, who was then trying to make his mark in Bollywood. She had left a note, which pointed suspicion towards Sooraj, leading to his arrest. He was booked under IPC Section 306 for allegedly abetting Jiah’s suicide. The case was later handed over to the CBI after repeated pleas by Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan and directives of the Bombay High Court on 3 July, 2014.
Jiah’s note had detailed the physical and mental abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of Sooraj. The prosecution had examined 22 witnesses, including Jiah’s mother Rabia. Advocate Prashant Patil appeared for Sooraj in the case.
The verdict has brought closure for Sooraj and his family, who had maintained his innocence throughout. Sooraj’s lawyer, Prashant Patil, said, ‘The case has been going on for the last eight years. We have been waiting for this for the last eight years. Justice has finally been done.’
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