Almost ten years after actress Jiah Khan committed suicide, a special CBI court in Mumbai acquitted actor Sooraj Pancholi of abetment charges on Friday.
“Due to paucity of evidence, this court can’t hold you (Sooraj Pancholi) guilty, hence acquitted,” Special CBI court judge AS Sayyed said while pronouncing the verdict. Jiah Khan was found dead in her suburban home on 3 June, 2013.
Based on a letter found on June 10 that was allegedly authored by the 25-year-old actor, Mumbai Police detained Suraj Pancholi under section 306 (abetment to suicide).
Sooraj, the son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, was supposedly dating Jiah. Rabia Khan, Jiah’s mother, said her daughter was murdered.
In October 2013, Rabia petitioned the Bombay High Court for a CBI investigation into the issue, stating that her daughter had been murdered.
In July 2014, the CBI took over the investigation from the Maharashtra Police on the authority of the Bombay High Court.
Rabia stated that her daughter was being abused by Sooraj Pancholi. Sooraj and Jiah first met in September of 2012.
