A special CBI court in Mumbai is likely to announce on Friday (April 28) its verdict in the suicide case of actor Jiah Khan, who was found dead in her suburban home on June 3, 2013. Actor Sooraj Pancholi, son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, is accused of abetting the suicide of Khan. A while ago, he was seen leaving for court. The paparazzi spotted Sooraj, who was charged on the basis of a 6-page letter purportedly written by Jiah, who was found hanging in her Juhu home.
He was seen joined by his mother Zarina Wahab and his team. The final verdict is expected to be announced soon. Zarina is hoping for 'justice'. Zarina also shared that she feels helpless as a mother when she sees her son in pain.
Rabia Khan’s lawyer made a written submission yesterday. Sooraj Pancholi’s lawyers have taken objection to the last-minute submission. The case has been kept back and will again be called out at 12 pm.
As per the Central Bureau of Investigation, the letter, which was seized by Mumbai police that began its probe on June 10, 2013, was written by Jiah Khan. The CBI claimed the note narrated her "intimate relationship, physical abuse and mental and physical torture” allegedly at the hands of Pancholi, which led to her committing suicide. The case was reassigned to a special CBI court in 2021 after the sessions court said it did not have jurisdiction over the case as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had probed it.
Special CBI Judge AS Sayyad, after hearing the final arguments of both sides, last week reserved his judgment in the case for April 28.
Jiah Khan's mother Rabia Khan, a key prosecution witness in the case, told the court she believed it was a case of murder and not suicide. "I want the truth to be out, Jiah khan did not take her own life. We have spent 10 years exposing the truth based on factual evidence. Now it is up to the court to draw the right conclusions."
Meanwhile, a member of the Pancholi family has revealed that everyone including Sooraj Pancholi is ‘anxious’ but 'positive' about the verdict. "Going by the merits of the case, the entire family is positive. But we are also anxious about the verdict which is slated to come out on April 28 in the Special CBI Court number 52," an unnamed family member told E-Times.
Jiah Khan Suicide
The Bombay High Court last year dismissed her petition seeking a fresh probe into Jiah Khan's suicide case. During her deposition, Rabia Khan had told the CBI court Pancholi used to subject Jiah Khan to physical and verbal abuse. She also alleged the police and CBI had not collected legal evidence to prove her daughter had committed suicide.
Sooraj Pancholi, in his 313-page statement filed before the court, had claimed the investigation and chargesheet were false, adding prosecution witnesses had testified against him on the behest of complainant Rabia Khan, police and CBI.
(With inputs by Rajesh Kumar)
