Sushant Singh Rajput death: SC dismisses CBI plea against Rhea Chakraborty, says ‘You are filing such a frivolous petition...’

In a major relief to Rhea Chakraborty, the Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against the actress and her two family members in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. The petition had challenged the Bombay High Court order which quashed the lookout circular (LOCs) against the actress, her brother Showik and her father Lt Col Indrajit Chakraborty (retd). The LOC, which prevents individuals from leaving a country, was imposed on Rhea after she got embroiled in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.

SC relief for Rhea Chakraborty

The petition was filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the state of Maharashtra and the Bureau of Immigration. According to Live Law, the SC bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan stated that the petition was frivolous and was filed because the accused were high-profile.

“We are warning. You are filing such a frivolous petition, only because one of the accused is a high-profile person...It will be with exemplary cost. Both persons have deep roots in society,” Justice Gavai said.

For those unaware, the Bombay High Court in February had quashed the LOC issued by the CBI against Rhea Chakraborty and her two family members in 2020.

The High Court order had lifted the LOC weeks after it had been temporarily suspended by a vacation bench in December, allowing Rhea Chakraborty to travel to Dubai for a meet-and-greet event despite strong opposition from the CBI.  The court granted petitions filed by Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, and their father, challenging the LOCs issued against them, which had restricted their international travel.

Sushant Singh Rajput case

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment in 2020, and various agencies, including the CBI and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), are investigating the case. Rhea, who was in a romantic relationship with the actor, also got embroiled in the case. She remained in judicial custody for almost a month before she was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 7, 2020.