Actor Rhea Chakraborty on Tuesday urged the Bombay High Court to dismiss a plea filed by sisters of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput seeking to quash the FIR registered by her on abetting Sushant’s death.
A Division Bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and M.S. Karnik was hearing a plea filed by Meetu and Priyanka Singh seeking to quash the FIR filed on September 7 by the Bandra police.
Ms. Chakraborty, in her reply filed through advocate Satish Maneshinde, said, “As per the prescription dated June 8, 2020, Dr. Tarun Kumar prescribed Nexito 5 mg, Librium 5 mg and Lonazep MD 0.5 mg to Sushant for anxiety. That it is pertinent to note that the tablet Librium is Chlordiazepoxide which appears at Item No.36 in the list of psychotropic substances under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), while Nexito and Lonazep MD both contain Clonazepam which appears in the list of psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act. Sushant died merely five days after he obtained the said prescription wherein he was unlawfully prescribed psychotropic substances at the behest of sister [Priyanka] and Dr. Tarun Kumar.”
The petition filed by the sisters stated, “No criminality can be attributed to the petitioners when the cause of action is attributed to the doctor. The FIR has been registered based on a complaint which is wrought with material irregularities and discrepancies. The FIR has been registered after inordinate delay of 90 days without explanation.”
They have been booked under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 464 (making a false document, 465 (punishment for forgery), 466 (forgery of record of court or of public register, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 474 (having possession of document), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Along with Sections 8 (1) (prohibition of certain activities relating to property derived from offence), 21 (punishment for contravention in relation to manufactured drugs and preparation), 22 (punishment for contravention in relation to psychotropic substances) and 29 (punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the NDPS. The matter is adjourned to November 4.
