A Special CBI court acquitted actor Sooraj Pancholi, who had been charged with abetting actor Jiah Khan’s suicide on Friday, 28 April. Pancholi has been acquitted due to paucity of evidence, as per a report by Bar and Bench. The verdict comes nearly a decade after Jiah's death.
Here's the complete timeline of the Jiah Khan death case.
September 2012: As per reports, Jiah Khan's mother Rabia Khan had told the court that the duo fell in love with each other in 2012 after Sooraj reached out to Jiah on social media.
2012 December: Rabia claimed to have received messages from Sooraj saying that he snapped at Jia following a fight with a friend, adding that Jiah should forgive and give him another chance.
2013 February: In her testimony to the court, Rabia claimed that Jiah forgave Sooraj and they went to Goa together to celebrate her birthday.
2013 February: As per her mother's claims, Jiah flies to London suddenly and informs her mother that Sooraj has abused her emotionally and financially.
3 June, 2013: Jia is found dead at her Mumbai house.
7 June, 2013: During investigation, police find a six-page suicide note from Jiah's house.
10 June, 2013: Sooraj is arrested by the police on allegations of abetment to suicide.
2 July, 2013: After spending 22 days in jail, the Bombay High Court grants bail to Sooraj.
2013 October: Rabia files a petition in the Bombay High Court demanding a CBI probe.
2014 July: The court hands over the case to the CBI
2015 December: The CBI files a chargesheet, dropping murder charges and terming the case as abetment to suicide. Rabia then demands an SIT investigation.
2017 February: The High Court rejects the request to form an SIT.
2019: The trial court also rejects Rabia's demand for further investigation.
2019 March: The trial begins in the Jiah Khan case.
2021: The case is reassigned to the Special CBI Court as the sessions court claimed that the jurisdiction of the case is not with the sessions court.
2023 April: Both sides presented their final arguments, after which the court fixed 28 April as the verdict day.
28 April, 2023: A Special CBI court in Mumbai acquits Sooraj Pancholi, citing "lack of evidence".
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)