Jiah Khan suicide case: Sooraj Pancholi found 'not guilty'. Timeline of key events
In the frame Jiah Khan and Sooraj Pancholi
Theverdict is out on a suicide case that rocked India's Bollywood film industry toits core.The high-profile case involved the death of a budding actress, Jiah Khan, and brought to the limelight her ex-boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi, who was accused of abetment to suicide.
A decade has passed, but the case and Jiah Khan's death remain one of the most talked-about topics in the industry. A lot of ups and downs were witnessed in the case and finally, the special CBI court acquitted Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi.
On Friday (April 28), Pancholi was set free by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) court, citing lack of evidence. "Due to paucity of evidence, this court can't hold you (Sooraj Pancholi) guilty, hence acquitted," said Judge AS Sayyed of the special CBI court in Mumbai. Rabia Khan, Jia's mother, has vowed to appeal in the high court.
Who was Jiah Khan?
Born Nafisa Khan, Jiah was a known face of the Bollywood industry. Brought up in London, she made her acting debut in 2007 with Ram Gopal Verma's film Nishabd co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. For her phenomenal performance, Jiah bagged a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She later went on to star in several big-budget films, like Aamir Khan's Ghajini and Akshay Kumar's Housefull.
Jiah Khan's suicide -
While everything seemed fine in her professional life, her personal life was in turmoil. The actress was found dead at her apartment in Mumbai on June 3, 2013. The 25-year-old was found hanging in her bedroom.
While investigating, a six-page letter purportedly written by Jiah was seized by the police. The hand-written letter revealed inside details about her turbulent relationship with Suraj Pancholi. At the same time, Jiah's mother also accused the Hero actor of her daughter’s death.
Suicide letter
The handwritten letter that was recovered from Jiah's house revealed many shocking details about her relationship with her then-boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi. In the letter, Jiah accused Sooraj of assaulting her everyday, and claimed she got pregnant several times but every time he had forced her to abort the child.
The letter reads: ''These days I see no light I wake up not wanting to wake up. There was a time I saw my life with you, a future with you. But you shattered my dreams. I feel dead inside. I've never given so much of myself to someone or cared so much. You returned my love with cheating and lies. It didn't matter how many gifts I gave you or how beautiful I looked for you. I was scared of getting pregnant but I gave myself completely the pain you have caused me every day has destroyed every bit of me, destroyed my soul. I can't eat or sleep or think or function. I am running away from everything. The career is not even worth it anymore.''
Below is the timeline of the key events that followed:
June 10, 2013: On the basis of the suicide note, Sooraj Pancholi, son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, was arrested under Section 306 (abetment to suicide). However, the autopsy report revealed that the cause of her death was identified as hanging, and no foul play was found.
July 2, 2013: After 22 days, Sooraj was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on a bond of Rs 50,000.
October 2013: Alleging that her daughter had been murdered, Rabia moved the Bombay High Court, asking for a CBI probe into the case.
July 3, 2014: After months, the Bombay High Court finally accepted Rabia's plea and transferred the case to the CBI from the Mumbai Police.
Later, Aditya Pancholi, the father of Sooraj, filed a Rs 100 crore (1 billion) defamation case against Rabia.
August 2014: The CBI registered a formal case to investigate the death of the Bollywood actress.
May 2015: Sooraj Pancholi's residence was raided by the CBI in connection with the case.
December 2015: On the basis of Jia's letter, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Sooraj Pancholi.
August 2016: The CBI ruled out any foul play and confirmed that Jiah died by suicide by hanging herself. However, within a month, Rabia brought a British forensic expert, Jason Payne-James, who claimed that Jiah's death was "staged".
February 2017: The court dismissed Rabia's request for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into Jiah's death.
2018: The special CBI court rejected the plea for further investigation against Sooraj in the Jiah Khan suicide abetment case.
2021: The case was transferred to a CBI special court after the sessions court claimed that it doesn't have jurisdiction after the CBI probe.
2022: Jiah's mother filed a new petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh investigation of the case, which was dismissed by the court.
April 20, 2023: A Special CBI Court Judge, AS Sayyad, heard the final arguments of both sides and reserved his judgement in the much-publicised case.
In his final statement, Sooraj Pancholi claimed the investigation and chargesheet were false, adding that the prosecution witnesses testified against him at the behest of complainant Rabiya Khan, the police and CBI.
April 28, 2023: The special CBI court acquitted Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi due to lack of evidence.
After the big judgement, Rabia Khan said that she will move to High Court now. "The charge of abetment to suicide has gone. But how did my child die? This is a case of murder…will approach the High Court," she said.
