[Breaking] FIR Against Sushant Singh Rajput's Sisters : Prima Facie Case Against Priyanka Singh; No Case Against Meetu Singh, Says Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Monday observed that there was a prima facie case found against Priyanka Singh, the sister of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, in the FIR lodged against her at the instance of Rhea Chakraborty alleging criminal conspiracy and abetment to suicide of Sushant Singh.The Court has however quashed the proceedings against another sister of Sushant, Meetu Singh, who was also named as an accused in the FIR."There is prima facie case found against Priyanka Singh and there should not be any impediment against investigation against her", a bench comprising Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik observed.The Court said that the FIR will survive as regards Priyanka Singh and Dr Tarun Kumar of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital Delhi, on whose prescription the medicines were allegedly procured for Sushant by Priyanka Singh. The FIR was registered on a complaint by actor Rhea Chakraborty against the sisters and Dr. Tarun Kumar - an associate professor of cardiology from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, on September 7, 2020 under sections 420(cheating) and 306(abetment of suicide), under the Indian Penal Code, as well as offences related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). The case was subsequently transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation that is looking into the late actor's death. Chakraborty has alleged that the medicines provided by Sushant's sister combined with the joint given to him by the house help may have led him to take his life on June 14, 2020. The sisters, in their petition filed by advocate Madhav Thorat, have cited discrepancies in Chakraborty's statement in the complaint and in an interview to say that the "complaint is an afterthought and only filed to digress the investigation in the death of the late actor." They have further cited a 91-day delay in registration of FIR. The petition claims that the prescription by Dr. Kumar is covered under the Telemedicines Guidelines and Telepsychiatry Operational Guidelines, adding that there isn't an iota of evidence which shows that the prescription is forged. The sisters have accused Rhea of filing the FIR for "ulterior motives" and purely to settle scores for registration of FIR against Chakraborty, which finally culminated into CBI taking over the investigation. It also states that they have been under constant media glare after the late actor's death and "aspersions" cast on them will have a longstanding effect on their lives. In its reply to the HC, the CBI said the Mumbai Police's decision to register the FIR was done so with "total disregard to the law". The CBI claimed that two FIRs cannot be registered to report one incident and they were already investigating the cause of Rajput's death. CBI accused the Mumbai Police of malafide prosecution. Meanwhile, a team from AIIMs has given their opinion to the CBI, stating that Rajput died due to hanging. But the CBI is yet to conclude their investigations into the actor's death. The Mumbai Police has defended their decision to register the FIR and submitted that both the FIRs are neither against the same accused, nor alleging the same version or conspiracy. Therefore, the FIR does not violate the sisters' fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Moreover, the Mumbai Police immediately transferred the FIR to the CBI. In her original complaint, Chakraborty says, "On June 8, 2020, Rajput showed me the messages he and his sister Priyanka had exchanged in which Priyanka sent him a list of medicines to take. I explained to Rajput that he has already been prescribed medicines by doctors who are treating him," ..."He, however, disagreed with me and insisted that he would only take the medicine his sister was prescribing," she adds. The actress has claimed that all the medicines mentioned in the prescription sent by his sister are controlled under NDPS Act and cannot be issued without any consultation as mandated by the law. The drugs were also prohibited to be prescribed electronically under telemedicine practice guidelines issued on March 25, 2020.Click Here To Download Judgment[Read Judgment]

[Breaking] FIR Against Sushant Singh Rajput's Sisters : Prima Facie Case Against Priyanka Singh; No Case Against Meetu Singh, Says Bombay High Court

Sharmeen Hakim

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