The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has finally closed the death case of Actor Sushant Singh Rajput and submitted a closure report exempting Rhea Chakraborty and her family of any guilt in his death. This finding follows close to five years of investigation that had gained considerable media attention with many speculating foul play.
On June 14, 2020 the actor Sushant Singh Rajput aged 34, was found dead in his apartment in Mumbai. His death gained immense public and media attraction with the ultimate questions surrounding all over if his death was a planned murder or a suicide. Among the many allegations, his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, was said to be involved in the murder and faced a terrible media trial.
The Case Background
The case took a lead when KK Singh, father of the deceased Sushant Singh, filed a complaint with the Patna Police claiming Rhea Chakraborty to be guilty in abetment in his suicide, and his son’s finances, and drawing off ₹15 crore from his son’s bank accounts. These allegations spawned the involvement of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) who subsequently arrested Rhea and her brother Shouvik in connection with drug related offenses in September 2020.
In addition to the charges, Chakraborty implicated Rajput’s sisters in providing him medications based on a fictitious prescription. This case was later taken over by the CBI, which conducted a thorough investigation.
The media frenzy surrounding the case was fueled by speculation, with numerous theories about the cause of Rajput’s death and the people involved. Varied and lengthy, the months-long CBI investigation saw the gathering of forensic evidence, assessment of technical data, and, ultimately, consultations with doctors regarding the case. Key individuals related to Sushant Rajput, including Chakraborty, her aides, Rajput’s family, and friends, were interrogated by the agency.
The investigation was rendered key by the postmortem report concluding that Rajput’s death was due to asphyxia caused by hanging. Forensic experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) also rejected theories of poisoning and strangulation advanced by certain quarters. With all evidence considered, the CBI did not find any foul play in Rajput’s death.
The CBI went ahead to file two closure reports: one with respect to the case registered by Rajput’s father and another concerning Chakraborty’s complaint against Rajput’s sisters. Both the reports were submitted before special courts at Patna and Mumbai, respectively.
What the CBI Report Says
The CBI’s closure report found no evidence of foul play or conspiracy in the death of Sushant Rajput. The agency found no evidence to substantiate the charges that it was Chakraborty or anyone else who abetted Rajput’s suicide. On the basis of the opinion of experts, forensic examination, eyewitness depositions, and medical reports, the CBI concluded that Rajput committed suicide.
The CBI closure report also vindicated Rhea Chakraborty and her family. The CBI states that the charges against Rhea and her family, such as those of financial mismanagement and abetment to suicide, were baseless.
The inquiry also examined Rajput’s mental state and medication, with evidence that the actor had in fact been treated for depression. However, nothing suggested that Chakraborty had brought any harm to Rajput.
Reactions to the Closure Report
Rhea Chakraborty attorney Satish Maneshinde, heartily welcomed the CBI’s decision with gratitude for the competent investigation and condemned all the media stories surrounding the case since the beginning. He highlighted the way Chakraborty and her family were treated terribly by the probe, of which hostility was generated by the false media narratives.
“What levels of false narrative on social media and electronic media that were ever called for,” said Maneshinde, adding that Rhea Chakraborty must have suffered a lot, including having spent 27 days in jail before being granted bail.
Maneshinde’s statement also touches upon the trauma that the media trials caused to Chakraborty and her family, with the case being transformed into a sideshow.
The Case’s Settlement
The case is now in its last stage after the CBI filed the closure report. Whether to accept the CBI’s conclusions or mandate additional research will be up to the courts. Analyzing the thoroughness of the investigation; it is expected that the rumours and conspiracy theories behind his death will be completely eradicated with the acceptance of the closure report.
A lengthy period of public interest in Rajput’s death has come to an end with the CBI’s decision to close the case. The closure report not only brought a halt to all the theories and media hysteria but also assured that his death was due to suicide and it involved no foul play.
However, though the case has reached its end legally, residual effects will be very much lived on especially by Rhea Chakraborty who will last for a longer time with the impact of the media coverage and emotional strain. It’s a reality check of possible impasses media trials can create and how investigations should be allowed to run free from public scrutiny.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s death will always remain a sad tragedy; the closure report clears the details but not the emotional and personal toll on those involved.
Edited by Saumya Sharan
