Fair probe in Sushant Singh’s death need of the hour, ‘Satyameva Jayate’: SC

PTI, Aug 19, 2020, 5:28 PM IST

New Delhi: A fair, competent and, impartial investigation into the “unnatural death” of talented Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput is the need of the hour, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, August 19.

“When truth meets sunshine, justice will not prevail on the living alone but after Life’s fitful fever, now the departed will also sleep well. Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs),” the top court said.

“Dissemination of real facts through unbiased investigation would certainly result in justice for the innocents, who might be the target of vilification campaign,” it said.

“Equally importantly, when integrity and credibility of the investigation are discernible, the trust, faith, and confidence of the common man in the judicial process will resonate,” the court said.

A bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy said that Rajput was a talented actor in the Mumbai film world and died well before his full potential could be realized.

“His family, friends, and admirers are keenly awaiting the outcome of the investigation so that all the speculations floating around can be put to rest,” the court said.

“Therefore a fair, competent and impartial investigation is the need of the hour. The expected outcome then would be, a measure of justice for the Complainant, who lost his only son,” the apex court said.

It said that even for Rajput’s live-in partner and actress Rhea Chakraborty, against whom an FIR was registered by Bihar Police on the complaint of the actor’s father Krishna Kishore Singh for alleged abetment of suicide, it will be the desired justice as she herself called for a CBI investigation.

The apex court upheld the Bihar government’s recommendation to transfer the FIR lodged in Rajput’s death case in Patna to the CBI.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then Mumbai Police had been probing the case but was yet to file an FIR in the case.