CBI court acquits actor Sooraj Pancholi in Jiah Khan suicide case owing to lack of evidence

Special CBI judge AS Sayyad acquitted Sooraj Pancholi of abetment to suicide charges due to paucity of evidence.

Mumbai: A special CBI court in Mumbai on Friday acquitted Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi in actor Jiah Khan suicide case while citing lack of evidence. The court while announcing the verdict, acquitted Sooraj Pancholi of abetment to suicide charges. "Due to paucity of evidence, this court can't hold you (Sooraj Pancholi) guilty, hence acquitted," said Judge AS Sayyed of special CBI court in Mumbai.

Sayyad had last week reserved the verdict in the case for today after hearing the final arguments of both sides in the case. The 'Nishabd' and 'Ghajini' star was found dead at her residence in Mumbai on June 3, 2013. It can be recalled that police had recovered a purported suicide note from Jiah's residence on June 10.

Based on the suicide note, Mumbai Police had in June 2013 arrested actor Sooraj Pancholi, son of actor Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab under section 306 (abetment to suicide) and arrested him. Sooraj was however released on bail in July, 2013. In the six page letter, Jiah had narrated her "intimate relationship, physical abuse and mental and physical torture” at the hands of Sooraj, which led to her committing suicide.

Sooraj was allegedly in a relationship with Jiah. Jiah's mother Rabia Khan alleged that her daughter was murdered by Sooraj. Rabia had in Oct. 2013, moved Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe in the case while alleging that her daughter had been murdered. On the order of the Bombay High Court, the CBI took over the probe from the Maharashtra Police in July 2014.

Rabia alleged that her daughter was in an abusive relationship with Sooraj Pancholi. As per reports, Sooraj and Jiah started dating in Sept. 2012. Ahead of today's verdict, Rabia said, “We have spent 10 years exposing the truth based on factual evidence. Now, it is up to the court to draw the right conclusions”.