New Delhi: Six weeks on, the mystery surrounding the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput continues to take new turns everyday, with the matter now having reached the Supreme Court as well.
Rajput, aged 34, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on 14 June.
While the Mumbai Police is looking into the case, the Bihar Police has also stepped in now after a complaint was filed by Rajput’s father in Patna. But does the Bihar Police have the jurisdiction to do so?
Also read: Bollywood to politics to police, everyone has a ‘theory’ about Sushant Singh Rajput’s death
Procedures the Mumbai Police is following
The Mumbai Police is inquiring into Rajput’s death under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which lays down the procedure for investigation when someone dies due to suicide.
Section 174 says that when the officer in-charge of a police station receives information that a person has died because of suicide or under other circumstances “raising a reasonable suspicion that some other person has committed an offence”, the officer should immediately inform the nearest executive magistrate empowered to hold inquests.
The executive magistrate is then required to go to the place where the body of the person is found and investigate the presence of two or more “respectable inhabitants of the neighbourhood”. The executive magistrate has to prepare a report on the apparent cause of death and on the wounds, injuries, etc., found on the body.
If there is any doubt regarding the cause of death, the police can send the body to a civil surgeon for examination.
Also read: It’s a dirty picture — that’s what Sushant Singh Rajput’s death reminds us about Bollywood
Bihar Police act on father’s complaint
The Bihar Police are following up on a complaint by Rajput’s father, Krishna Kishore Singh, had filed. Singh had lodged a case against actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code. These included sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 306 (abetment of suicide).
On why the case was filed in Patna when Rajput died in Mumbai, Singh’s family lawyer, senior advocate Vikas Singh explained that “a part of the cause of action has arisen in Patna”.
“These are not those traditional crimes which happen over a day. These are crimes which happen over a period of time … The mind control started happening first by blocking Sushant’s father to talk to Sushant, and Rhea ensured that Sushant cannot contact him. That was the first step in the crime … The only victim here is the father who is living in Patna,” he was quoted as saying.
Delhi-based criminal lawyer Ajay Verma also explained that the proceedings under section 174 CrPC have a “very limited scope”.
“The Mumbai Police is required to submit a report under section 174 to the district magistrate or sub-divisional magistrate. It could have started investigation if … it was found that an offence has been committed,” he told ThePrint.
Explaining the Bihar Police’s powers, he added, “Bihar Police is within its right to investigate fraud, abetment of suicide etc. There is no bar under the Criminal Procedure Code for such independent investigation into the allegation as stipulated in Rajput’s father’s complaint. If, after the investigation, no material comes up, then the Bihar Police may file a closure report under section 173 CrPC. The Bihar Police can also summon anybody for the ongoing investigation.”
Rhea Chakraborty seeks transfer of probe
Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is believed to have been in a relationship with Rajput, has approached the Supreme Court, seeking a transfer of the Patna FIR to Mumbai.
This case will be heard on 5 August.
Meanwhile, the governments of Bihar and Maharashtra and Rajput’s father have already filed caveats in the Supreme Court seeking to be heard before any order is passed on Chakraborty’s plea.
Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput’s death & ‘shocking revelations’ about Rhea Chakraborty rule TV news
Mumbai police has to ask why they have not initiate to file an FIR during the investigation process and the death of SSR was declared as suicide. Though the prima facie of this case clearly exhibit that, SSR was murdered. Regarding the post mortem procedure, why his body was taken to Cooper hospital, which is situated in other District, so many loop holes are there in the investigation process by the Mubai Police.
Legally speaki Commissioner of Bombay Police shall be arrested immediately for concealmnbent of criminals, destruction of evidence, corruption, ob structing justice cause as per law investigation by police starts only after register ation of FIR. Shushants father waited for 30 days the required time for initial submission of the chargesheet police report, but Bombay police was busy misleading the nation, their after the disretraught father made FIR from place he sent his son for earning livelyhood and thereafter losst him at Patna hence Bihar Police was first to register FIR and has kegal and territorial jurisdiction to investigate and sorry to say Mumbai police had lost it for reasons best known to the.m