Rhea Chakraborty’s lawyer expresses gratitude to CBI for closing Sushant Singh Rajput death case

Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, expressed gratitude to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its comprehensive investigation into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and filing a closure report.

“We are grateful to the CBI for having thoroughly investigated every aspect of the case from all angles and closed the case,” he said in a statement.

The CBI has submitted its findings to a special court in Mumbai, which will now decide whether to accept the report or request further investigation, according to officials.

The agency took over the case from the Bihar police, who had registered an abetment to suicide complaint based on a plea by Rajput's father, K K Singh.

In its conclusive medico-legal opinion to the CBI, forensic specialists at AIIMS had dismissed the claims of “poisoning and strangling” made in the case.

The CBI recorded statements from Rhea Chakraborty, who was reportedly in a relationship with Rajput, along with others close to the actor, and examined his medical history.

In his statement, Maneshinde said that the amount of “false narrative in the social media and electronic media was totally uncalled for”.

“Due to the pandemic, everyone was glued to the television and social media in the absence of anything happening in the country. Innocent people were hounded and paraded before the media and investigative authorities,” the statement said.

He pointed out that “Rhea Chakraborty had to undergo untold miseries and was behind bars for 27 days” before being released on bail.

Chakraborty, her brother Shouvik Chakraborty, and others were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with a drug-related investigation linked to Rajput's death.

Rajput (34) was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14, 2020.

In his complaint to the Bihar police, Rajput's father had alleged that Chakraborty, along with her family members, misappropriated his son's money, a charge denied by her in television interviews.

PTI