Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Wednesday discharged Rahul Raj Singh, who was accused of abetting the suicide of his former girlfriend and actor Pratyusha Banerjee a decade ago, giving him relief at the pre-trial stage.
Banerjee, who played the lead role in the popular television show “Balika Vadhu”, died by suicide at her rented apartment in suburban Goregaon on April 1, 2016.
Singh, the actor’s then boyfriend, was booked on charges of abetting her suicide. The HC granted him anticipatory bail in July 2016.
He moved the sessions court with a discharge plea after the police submitted a chargesheet in 2018. After it was rejected, he moved the HC.
A single bench of Justice S G Dige accepted the arguments of senior advocate Aabad Ponda and advocate Shreyansh Mithare, who represented Singh, that in their last conversation, Singh had tried to convince Banerjee not to take any drastic step while he was on his way to her apartment.
No case of abetment was hence made out against him, the lawyers submitted.
As per the lawyers, the last conversation showed the deceased blamed everyone, including her parents, for taking the drastic step.
Singh’s lawyers also questioned the haste with which the FIR was registered against him in the absence of a suicide note, arguing that allowing the trial to proceed would amount to an “abuse of process.”
The HC then allowed Singh’s plea, ensuring that he doesn’t face trial in the case. PTI SP NR
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