Strained Relations Between Rhea Chakraborty & Sushant's Sisters Not A Ground To Quash FIR Against Priyanka Singh : Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court has observed that strained relations between actor Rhea Chakraborty and late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Priyanka Singh cannot be a ground to quash the charges pertaining to abetment of suicide and criminal conspiracy levelled by Chakraborty against Singh, at this stage.

The court also refused to accept the contention raised by Priyanka's lawyers that the FIR against her be quashed as it was "malicious and more in the nature of counter blast as the same is fled at the instance of respondent No.2 (Chakraborty) who is an accused in the FIR registered at the instance of the late actor's father."

"Having gone through the complaint and the materials enclosed scrupulously, we are not persuaded to hold that these allegations can be substantiated at this stage and hence we are unable to persuade ourselves to agree with the submission of learned Senior Advocate for the petitioner," the bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik observed in the order, upholding the allegations against Priyanka, but quashing the allegations against the late actor's second sister Meetu.

According to Chakraborty's FIR from September 7, 2020, Priyanka, in connivance with Dr Tarun Kumar, an associate professor of cardiology from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, forged a prescription to include drugs banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), for the late actor. The drugs, combined with a joint given by the house help, may have led the later actor to take his life on June 2014, Rhea has said in her complaint.

The case was subsequently transferred from the Mumbai Police to the CBI, which is also investigating the case against Chakraborty based on a complaint registered by Sushant's father Krishna Kishore Singh.

The bench held that since CBI has undertaken to "meticulously and professionally [investigate Sushant Singh Rajput's death] without being hindered by any external factor… there is no reason why the respondent No.3 (CBI) should not carry out a meticulous investigation also based on counter complaint lodged by the respondent No.2 (Rhea Chakraborty)."

As for Sushant Singh Rajput's second sister, Meetu, Rhea alleged she may have procured the drugs for him. The bench, however, found the allegations against her vague and based on suspicion. "The FIR appears to have been registered against the petitioner No.2 only on suspicion without attributing specific overt acts qua petitioner No.2 (Meetu Singh) that she aided or abetted the alleged act of suicide by the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput," the order notes.

Click here to read/download the judgment