The family of Sushant Singh Rajput - who have alleged negligence by the medical team from Delhi's AIIMS that ruled the actor's death in June as a suicide - will go to court unless a new medical panel is set up to examine available forensic evidence, their lawyer Vikas Singh said this evening.
On Wednesday, hours after Rhea Chakraborty - whom Mr Rajput's family has accused of involvement in his death and illegally moving Rs 15 crore from his account - was released on bail, Mr Singh launched a scathing attack on the AIIMS panel report, which he said "cannot serve justice".
"If the CBI doesn't take action, we will go to the court and demand forming a new forensic team. We want a proper medical opinion, this kind of opinion can't serve justice," Mr Singh said, also claiming that the chief of the panel - Dr Sudhir Gupta - had violated ethical and medical guidelines by appearing on television news channels and saying that "it was a suicide".
"Action should be taken against the AIIMS team. The MCI (Medical Council of India) should look into the matter. How can Dr Gupta come on TV and say it was a suicide. Only the CBI can decide this. The report raises questions about the credibility of forensic team," Mr Singh said.
A team of doctors from AIIMS had last week said that Mr Rajput, who was found dead at his residence in Mumbai on June 14, was not murdered and had died by suicide.
The report dismissed theories of poisoning and strangling floated by the actor's family, which have sparked lurid conspiracies online and led to vicious trolling of Ms Chakraborty in some instances.
Following this report Mr Rapjut's family, via their lawyers, wrote to the CBI to seek the formation of a new medical team to review the autopsy and viscera reports of a Mumbai hospital.
The AIIMS report, which sources told NDTV was being corroborated by the CBI as part of its investigation, concurred with the Mumbai hospital reports that said "asphyxia due to hanging" was the cause of death. Sources also said there was also circumstantial evidence to suggest Mr Rajput died by suicide - by hanging - and was not murdered.
Today Mr Rajput's family's lawyer hit out at the suggestion that the possibility of murder could now be dismissed. "Even if the death happens because of hanging, the possibility of the murder can't be ruled out," he declared.
The CBI, which earlier said all possibilities would be considered, is likely to continue its probe into "abetment to suicide", the charge listed by Bihar Police on a complaint by Mr Rajput's father, sources said; the complaint named Ms Chakraborty as someone responsible for the actor's death.
Sources have also told NDTV that the ruling out of murder was not just medico-legal opinion of the AIIMS team but also the CBI's Central Forensic Lab, which has ruled out foul play.
Ms Chakraborty, meanwhile, continues to also be investigated by the Narcotics Bureau - for allegedly buying drugs for Mr Rajput - and the Enforcement Directorate - over "suspicious transactions" involving the Rs 15 crore figure claimed by Mr Rajput's family.
On her getting bail today - after spending nearly a month in jail on drugs charges - Mr Singh said the narcotics case was a "small matter". "The bigger case is whether Rhea ever told the Sushant's doctors about the drugs she was giving him," he said.
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