Sushant Singh Rajput death | Supreme Court rejects CBI plea against actor Rhea Chakraborty: ‘Frivolous’
The plea filed by the CBI and Maharashtra challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision to quash the LOCs issued against Rhea Chakraborty was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
In a positive development for Rhea Chakraborty, the Supreme Court rejected a petition from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Maharashtra state, and the Bureau of Immigration. This petition contested the Bombay High Court’s decision to cancel the look-out-circulars (LOCs) that had been issued against the actress, her brother Showik, and her father Lt Col Indrajit Chakraborty (retd) regarding the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
Reported by Live Law, a remark was made by Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan stating that the petition was deemed as “frivolous” and appeared to have been filed solely due to the accused being “high-profile”.
Justice Gavai issued a cautionary statement, suggesting that the frivolous nature of the petition filed may be driven by one accused being a prominent figure. The warning indicated that significant costs may be imposed as both individuals hold substantial community connections. This came as the CBI counsel requested a deferral of the proceedings.
Justice Gavai stated that if the desire is to save costs and receive some compliments from the CBI, they would opt to move on.
Last year, the Bombay High Court revoked the CBI’s LOC against Rhea Chakraborty and two of her family members related to the tragic demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, which was issued in 2020.
Rhea Chakraborty, along with her brother and father, successfully petitioned Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande to lift the travel restrictions imposed on them through LOCs.
An investigative agency’s Letter of Comment (LOC) can be utilized to ask the Immigration Bureau to apprehend an individual, prevent them from boarding a flight, or merely notify the relevant agency about the person leaving the country.
The high court’s decision to lift the LOC comes several weeks following its suspension by a vacation bench in December. This suspension was granted to allow Rhea Chakraborty to travel to Dubai for a meet-and-greet event, despite facing strong opposition from the CBI.
In prior court sessions, the judges had raised doubts about the justification for issuing LOCs merely on the grounds of an FIR being lodged against the actor.
Debate ensued over jurisdiction when the First Information Report (FIR) was originally lodged in Patna by Sushant Singh Rajput’s family before being transferred to the CBI in Delhi. Rhea Chakraborty’s legal team advocated for Mumbai’s jurisdiction, pointing out the residency of all involved parties and the investigative location.
The court expressed worries about an ongoing case dated back to 2020, in which the CBI had not submitted a charge sheet, highlighting the importance of conclusiveness in legal matters. Furthermore, the bench raised queries regarding the justification behind issuing LOCs.
The legal representatives of Rhea Chakraborty’s family argued that the issuance of the LOC should be justified by solid proof demonstrating the accused’s deliberate evasion of arrest or court appearances.
In 2020, the tragic demise of Sushant Singh Rajput shocked the world.
The demise of Sushant Singh Rajput at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020, ignited debates and suspicions, prompting inquiries by multiple authorities like the CBI and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Rhea Chakraborty, who was romantically involved with Sushant Singh Rajput then, has been a focal point of the probe.
Following the lodging of an FIR in Patna, which was subsequently taken over by the Supreme Court and handed to the CBI, the investigative agency made its presence known. As part of their inquiries, Rhea and her brother were subjected to Lookout Circulars.
