Bombay HC Issues Notice To Jiah Khan’s Mother On Aditya Pancholi’s Contempt Petition

Bombay High Court today issued notice to late actress Jiah Khan’s mother seeking her reply in the contempt petition filed against her by actor Sooraj Pancholi’s parents Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab.

Justice Gautam Patel was hearing the contempt petition filed in December 2014. The petition had sought action to be initiated against Rabia under the Contempt of Courts Act as she “continues to make defamatory statements” against Sooraj and his parents.

Petitioners have argued that Rabia had earlier assured HC that she would refrain from commenting upon or making any adverse statements against Sooraj and his family over his relationship with her daughter Jiah, or with references to Jiah’s death.

However, it has been alleged that Rabia continues to say “abusive and defamatory things” against the petitioners in her interviews to television channels and through her twitter account.

Jiah Khan was found dead in her flat on June 3, 2013. Sooraj Pancholi was arrested ten days later after being charged with abetment to suicide. He is currently out on bail as the trial court is yet to frame charges in the case.

Initially Juhu police was investigating the case and it concluded that it was “a case of suicide not murder” and Sooraj was guilty of abetment to suicide. Following this, Rabia filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court seeking a probe by the CBI into Jiah’s death. HC allowed her application and transferred the probe to CBI which then said the same thing as Juhu police that it was “a case of suicide not murder.”

Rabia has throughout maintained that this is a case of murder and hence filed another appeal in the HC seeking investigation by a Special Investigating Team (SIT). This particular application is still pending before the court.

This article has been made possible because of financial support from Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation.

Image from here.