The special women’s court on Tuesday charged actor Sooraj Pancholi with abetment of actor Jiah Khan’s suicide. Special Judge K.D. Shirbhate framed the charge of Section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide) against the actor.
Talking to The Hindu, Advocate Prashant Patil appearing for Mr. Pancholi said: “He pleaded not guilty and summons will be issued to witnesses by court on February 14.” According to the CBI, it is alleged that on June 3, 2013, Jiah’s mother found her hanging at her residence.
This was after she had left the actor’s house that morning. Mr. Pancholi was arrested on June 10, 2013 on charges of abetment of suicide a week after Jiah’s suicide, and was granted bail by the High Court in a week.
On December 9, 2015, the CBI filed a charge sheet that said: “"The wilful conduct of the accused has been narrated in the note of Nafisa Rizvi alias Jiah Khan, and her intimate relationship, physical abuse, mental and physical torture by Sooraj, which she experienced, allegedly led the deceased to commit suicide.”
The supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI on January 18, 2016, said “Sooraj Pancholi is concealing relevant information about the actual reason behind the incident.” It also had the forensic statement analysis of Mr. Pancholi and the psychologist’s opinion in the charge sheet. “It has been inferred that the statements given by him seem incomplete and fabricated on relevant issues. It indicates that he is concealing the relevant information about the actual reason behind the incident.”
Before the case was transferred to the CBI, the Juhu Police that was investigating the case had said Jiah committed suicide because Mr. Pancholi broke his relationship with her and her career was not going anywhere
