A local court in Maharashtra on Friday acquitted actor Sooraj Pancholi in the death case of his former girlfriend and actor Jiah Khan, who was found dead in her Juhu apartment on June 3, 2013.
Special Judge A.S. Sayyad at the CBI Court in Mumbai acquitted Pancholi on the grounds of ‘paucity of evidence’ in the case.
Sooraj, son of actors Zarina Wahab and Aditya Pancholi, was arrested on June 10, 2013. The Bombay High Court granted him bail in July, 2013.
Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan had moved the High Court, alleging foul play in her daughter’s death. The High Court transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2014. CBI filed a charge sheet in 2015 and booked Pancholi with abetment of suicide, but ruled out murder.
As per the prosecution, Jiah had left Pancholi’s house on the morning of her alleged suicide on June 3, 2023. Total 22 witnesses were examined in the case by the prosecution.
CBI claimed that Pancholi had hidden facts and fabricated information during his questioning.
The forensic analysis of Sooraj’s statements, which was part of the charge sheet, had established that Sooraj was ‘concealing relevant information’ about the actual reason behind the incident and the statement given by him was ‘incomplete and fabricated,’ alleged the national agency.
While recording his statement under Section 313 of CrPC, Pancholi had answered 558 questions. He had outrightly denied the allegation that he was responsible for Jiah’s death and instead claimed that a false case was registered against him.
CBI further claimed that Pancholi had aided Jiah in terminating her pregnancy six months before her demise, an incident that made her emotionally weak, it added.
Sooraj, however, contradicted the doctor’s statement, wherein he claimed that abortion was discussed in front of him and further denied helping Jiah pull out half of the foetus that was stuck inside her.
CBI said Pancholi met Rabia on May 18, 2013, and informed her that Khan was suffering from depression and had attempted suicide. He also told Rabia that he wanted some space from Jiah as he was about to launch his career.
Rabia said in her deposition that Jiah became a star after her first film Nishabd released in 2007 and that her daughter was making good money in 2012.
Pancholi denied these claims and said the first film didn’t do well. He further denied chatting with Jiah on a Blackberry phone or living in each other’s homes.
According to a witness statement in the CBI charge sheet, Aditya Pancholi had asked his son to delete all his chats with Jiah.
Sooraj denied in the court that he texted Jiah and apologised for losing his cool. He further denied telling her that he loved her more than his mother. The actor also rejected the charges of having violent fights with her or telling her mother that he wanted to marry Jiah.
Pancholi said that when he came to know about Jiah’s suicide later in the night, he was in shock and cried. The court rejected Rabia’s plea to recall two witnesses.