Sushant Rajput case: Patna police officer Vinay Tiwari was quarantined after he landed in Mumbai.
Highlights
- "Quarantining of Bihar cop has not sent good message," top court said
- Mumbai Police was accused of "forcibly" quarantining Patna police officer
- The top court has sought a status report in three days
Quarantining of the police officer who arrived in Mumbai to lead the Bihar Police's investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput "does not send a good message" when there is so much attention on the case, the Supreme Court said today. The top court also sought a status report from Mumbai Police on its probe so far into the actor's death.
"Quarantining of the Bihar Police officer has not sent good message despite the fact that Mumbai Police has good professional reputation," the top court said as it heard actor Rhea Chakraborty's petition seeking the transfer of a First Information Report (FIR) - from Patna to Mumbai - accusing her of abetting Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged suicide in June.
The top court has sought a status report from the state governments in Bihar, Maharashtra, the centre and Sushant Singh Rajput's father to file their responses to Ms Chakraborty's petition in three days.
Mumbai Police has been accused of "forcibly" quarantining Patna police officer Vinay Tiwari who sent to Mumbai to lead the probe.
During the hearing, the centre told the Supreme Court that it has accepted the Bihar government's recommendation for a CBI probe into actor's death. As the turf war between the Patna and Mumbai police intensified, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday recommended a CBI investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput's, escalating politics over the case.
The Maharashtra government opposed to CBI probe, saying the FIR filed by Patna Police is "politically motivated" and that it does not have any jurisdiction.
The FIR against Mr Rajput's Ms Chakraborty was filed by Bihar police on a complaint by the former's father, alleging that she illegally transferred Rs 15 crore from Mr Rajput's Mumbai bank account and mentally harassed him.
Ms Chakraborty had challenged Bihar police's jurisdiction in the matter, given that the alleged crime took place in Maharashtra.
Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14. The Mumbai Police said it was suicide and has questioned over 50 people on allegations that the actor was suffering from depression and had felt sidelined because of cut-throat rivalries in the film industry.