New Delhi: A day before the crucial hearing, actress Rhea Chakraborty told Monday the Supreme Court that she should not be made ‘scapegoat of political agendas’. Rhea Chakraborty was referring to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. Rhea Chakraborty alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is ‘reported to be responsible for registration of FIR in Patna’ against her.
Rhea claimed that the ‘sad incident’ of Rajput’s death unfortunately occurred just in wake of elections in Bihar. This led to the issue of suicide being isolated and ‘blown out of proportion in media’. It has caused extreme trauma and infringement of privacy of her rights. This is due to the ‘constant sensationalisation’ of this case.
The actress said she has already been ‘convicted’ by the media even before any foul play has been established.
Rhea also filed an additional affidavit filed in the apex court. She said in it she has ‘no objection’ if the top court refers the case to CBI by its order. However, she said ‘even if the CBI investigates the matter the jurisdiction will still be with the courts at Mumbai and not at Patna’.
The affidavit by the actress which stated that ‘ruling party in Bihar and Centre is same and the said party is in minority in the state of Maharashtra’”, also alleged that the purported transfer of the case to a Patna court and further to the CBI August 4 is only to render her petition in the apex court infructuous. It alleged that the transfer of investigation to the CBI by Bihar Police is ‘illegal and bad in law’.
Rhea filed the affidavit in the top court which is seized of her plea seeking transfer of an FIR, lodged against her by Bihar Police in Patna on a complaint by Rajput’s father Krishna Kishore Singh, to Mumbai.
In her additional affidavit, Rhea said that two actors – Ashutosh Bhakre and Sameer Sharma – were reported to have committed suicide in the last one month. However, there were ‘no whispers about the same in power corridors’.
“In case of death of Sushant Singh Rajput, Chief Minister of Bihar is reported to be responsible for registration of FIR in Patna,” the affidavit claimed. It added, “The sad incident of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput who hailed from Bihar unfortunately occurred just in wake of elections in Bihar. This has led to the issue of suicide of deceased being isolated and blown out of proportion. The issue is blown out of proportion in media. Media channels are examining and cross-examining all the witnesses in the case. Petitioner (Chakraborty) is already convicted by media even before a foul play in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput is established.”
The affidavit further said: “From a plain reading of FIR, neither any such act which is done in the State of Bihar, nor any such consequence which has ensued in State of Bihar, is forthcoming by reason of which such act and consequence is an offence, out of any alleged in the FIR. The jurisdiction lies only with the jurisdictional court in Maharashtra.”
The apex court is scheduled to hear Rhea’s plea tomorrow (Tuesday).
Rajput’s father has accused Rhea and others, including her family members, of abetting the actor’s suicide. The matter was later transferred to the CBI.
The 34-year-old Rajput was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai, June 14.
Recently, Mumbai Police has filed an affidavit in the apex court opposing a CBI probe into Rajput’s death. The Mumbai Police said that they were carrying out an impartial investigation in the matter.