Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on June 14
The case involving the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput can be investigated by the police for now, the Supreme Court said today, dismissing an appeal for its transfer to the Central Bureau of Investigation. "Let the police do its job," said Chief Justice SA Bobde, directing petitioner Alka Priya to "Go to the Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete". The question, he added, was one of jurisdiction.
The lawyer for the petitioner argued that Sushant Singh Rajput had done lot of good work for children by facilitating their training at NASA and a CBI probe is needed to look into his death..
To this CJI said, "It has nothing to do with whether a person was good or bad person. it is about jurisdiction... you can go to Bombay High Court if have anything concrete".
To calls from various political leaders for a CBI Investigation, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh earlier said there is "no question" of transferring the case.
The police of two states, Maharashtra and Bihar -- the state where the actor was from -- are conducting investigations, after allegations that nepotism in Mumbai's film industry was a contributing factor to his death.
The 34-year-old actor, who was suffering from depression, was found dead in his Mumbai flat on June 14. The police suspected it was a case of suicide.
The Mumbai Police have already questioned more than 40 people --the list includes filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Aditya Chopra and Shekhar Kapoor, the actor's friend Rhea Chakraborty, his co-stars, and doctors.
The actor's family, who are based in Patna, alleged that Rhea Chakraborty had cheated him and stopped him from staying in touch with them, eventually driving him to suicide. A police case was lodged against Rhea Chakraborty and six others on July 25, accusing them of "abetment of suicide" and fraud.
Ms Chakraborty has been trying to get the case transferred to Mumbai. Sushant Singh Rajput's father has now filed a caveat in the Supreme Court that seeks to block her move.
Earlier this month, in a post on Instagram tagging Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rhea Chakraborty had suggested that the case be transferred to the CBI. Disclosing that she has been receiving rape and murder threats on social media, she said she "only wanted to understand what prompted him to take the step".
Sushant Singh Rajput debuted in the 2013 film "Kai Po Che" and went on to do several films, including "PK", "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Kedarnath", "Sonchiriya" and "Chhichhore". His last film, "Dil Bechara", released last week and has scored record viewership.