Justice Delayed is Justice Denied - Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary
- Dindima
- Jun 17, 2021
- 4 min read
When justice is delayed, justice is denied.
Many organizations are currently investigating the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died under unexplained circumstances a year ago. On June 14, last year, Sushant Singh Rajput was discovered hanging from the ceiling of his Bandra flat.
He was born in the dusty plains of Bihar and excelled in all he attempted. He won the National Olympiad in Physics and passed all 11 admission examinations he took before deciding to study mechanical engineering at the Delhi College of Engineering at the time.
But, music and dance drew him away from engineering, and he relocated to Mumbai, where he enrolled in a dance school and began hunting for acting roles. Sushant hopscotched his way to the big league in Bollywood after taking acting workshops, auditioning for various roles, and basically roughing it out—things that every outsider in Bollywood has to go through. His most recent film, Chhichhore (2019), in which he played a father who saves his suicidal son, grossed over 200 crores at the box office.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY OF HIS DEATH
Two chefs, Neeraj Singh and Keshav Bachner, reportedly lived in the same house. Deepesh Sawant was in charge of the housekeeping. Siddharth Pithani, Sushant's flatmate, stayed in another room. On the afternoon of June 8, Rhea, who was staying with Sushant, left the house, and the actor's sister, Meetu Singh, came to be with him for around three days.
According to one account of events on that fateful day, Sushant woke up, drank some water, then coconut water and fruit juice before shutting himself up in his room. There was no response when Keshav went to ask him what he wanted for lunch. Something didn't feel right to Keshav.
The others in the home began looking for the door key. They finally contacted a locksmith, who was able to disable the lock. Siddharth reportedly discovered Sushant dead when he opened the door. Meetu, who had been informed, arrived at the flat shortly after, and the cops were called in.
According to several eyewitness testimonies, Sushant has been sick since his Europe trip with Rhea last year and was on some medication.
HOW THE POLICE REACTED
Sushant's family members, flatmates, friends, coworkers, Rhea, film critic Rajeev Masand, and Bollywood stars Mahesh Bhatt, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mukesh Chhabra, and Aditya Chopra all gave statements to the Mumbai Police. Shekhar Kapur, the filmmaker, also sent an email statement.
Things took a political turn during the Mumbai Police probe. K.K. Singh filed a complaint with the Patna Police on July 25, alleging abetment of suicide, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, theft, unlawful restraint, and imprisonment in violation of the Indian Penal Code. Rhea, Showik, Indrajit and Sandhya Chakraborty, Samuel Miranda, and Rhea's former manager Shruti Modi were named.
Following the filing of the FIR, a Patna Police team traveled to Mumbai on July 27 to follow up on the leads. The Bihar government notified the Supreme Court a few days later that the Mumbai Police were not helping in the investigation and that the case should be investigated by the CBI.
The agency took up the case on August 6. The agency set up an office in the guest house of the DRDO in Mumbai. Since the CBI took over the investigation, they have questioned all witnesses to have a better understanding of the facts and concerns made by the complainant, his family, and various third parties. In their report to the CBI, a team of AIIMS physicians who examined Sushant Rajput's viscera samples and postmortem reports ruled out any foul play in the case and advised the agency that it was a case of suicide rather than murder.
During the investigation, the CBI questioned Sushant Singh Rajput's workers, previous employees and drivers, as well as primary suspect Rhea Chakraborty and her family members. Officials also took statements from Sushant's family and relatives to have a better understanding of the situation. CBI questioned doctors who were reportedly treating Sushant, including his former psychiatrists.
The federal agency collected evidence and took statements in Aligarh, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Manesar, and Patna. The Cooper Hospital physicians who performed the actor's autopsy were also questioned by the CBI.
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
The charge sheet and closure report in the death case have yet to be filed by the CBI. The investigation is still ongoing, according to CBI authorities, and all possibilities are being investigated.
In response to the CBI statement, Vikas Singh, a lawyer representing Sushant's family, stated that if they were looking into all factors, they should have done custodial questioning of the named accused.
WHY IS JUSTICE DELAYED
India is a country that upholds the principle that "the innocent must not be punished while seeking justice." And the court won't be able to make a decision unless strong proofs and evidence are given to it.
The case has been examined from several perspectives. This case has piqued the interest of three departments: ED, CBI, and Narcotics because it involves money and drugs. Converging all these data into a single explanation might be difficult as well.
Sushant was presented as a major inspirer or influencer in the film Chichhore, which depicted the struggle against suicide attempts. But no one expected him to end his life in this manner. Sushant's life may have ended early, but it was spent in quest of a greater purpose than the traditional starry living.
"Justice delayed is justice denied", as William. E. Gladstone famously remarked. All the battles fought should not be in vain. Sound justice should be served as soon as possible.
And, in the end, the TRUTH must triumph.
Sathya Meva Jayate.
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