Sushant Singh Rajput case: SC defers hearing plea for unified CBI probe

The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred hearing a plea by Bofors-fame advocate Ajay Agrawal for a unified probe by the CBI into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

A bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde posted the matter for consideration on August 21 as the petitioner was indisposed.

Agrawal has claimed that the entire country was shocked by the way the Mumbai Police handled this case, leaving many loopholes at the initial stage of the investigation.

In an additional affidavit, he has pointed out Narayan Rane, who is a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, alleged that it is a clear cut case of murder, while some other prominent people took the name of Aditya Thackeray, himself a Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, to be involved in some way or the other with this case.

"The faith of the people is being eroded with such facts coming through media the whole day," he said.

All this can be put to rest by a unified CBI investigation of this case. The CBI is a professional agency and is well-equipped to deal with such type of high profile and controversial case, Agrawal added.

In his petition, he contended a unified probe by the CBI was necessary to unravel the truth. Even though the Bihar government ordered an enquiry by the central agency, the Maharashtra government may not agree for it.

Agrawal pointed out the blatant act of the Bombay Municipal Corporation to put Patna SP, Vinay Tiwari, who went for probe in an FIR lodged by Rajput's father, in quarantine under the instruction from the Maharashtra government made it loud, clear and apparent that there was something fishy in the investigation of Mumbai Police.

The Maharashtra government wanted to hide and suppress some material facts which are necessary for impartial and fair investigation of the case, and that is why it was shy of recommending CBI inquiry into the matter wherein its act in this matter is under a cloud, he claimed.

Pointing towards "unsavory war of words between Bihar and Maharashtra police", the petitioner said that citizens of the country were shocked by all these developments.

He said nobody could swallow this theory of suicide of a bright star of Bollywood and every Indian was curious to know the actual facts of his untimely death. The petitioner also pointed out the top court on July 15 dismissed a PIL for a CBI probe into the matter but there was no speaking order.

Agrawal, who filed the PIL in Bofors scam, is a member of the BJP. He has also unsuccessfully contested 2014 Lok Sabha polls against Sonia Gandhi from Rai Bareli constituency.

Notably, the court had on Tuesday reserved a plea by actress Rhea Chakraborty for transfer of the July 25 FIR filed by father of deceased actor with Patna Police to Mumbai.

Although the CBI has taken over the probe into the matter but the Maharashtra government has vehemently opposed it.

Sushant's father K K Singh accused Rhea, who was in a live-in relationship with the actor, and others, including her family members, of cheating, holding his son hostage and forcing him to commit suicide on June 14. He also claimed as much as Rs 17 crore was withdrawn from his son's bank accounts.