NEW DELHI: The central government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it is willing to hand over the case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court was hearing a petition filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty, demanding that the FIR registered against her in Patna by Rajput’s father be transferred to Mumbai. Chakraborty was said to have been in a relationship with Rajput.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told Justice Hrihikesh Roy that the central government has, in principle, accepted the Bihar government’s recommendation for a CBI probe into the actor’s death. The court gave three days’ time to all parties in the case - Maharashtra and Bihar governments as well as Chakraborty and Rajput’s family to file a reply.
The court also asked the Maharashtra government for an update on the status of its investigation as it has been probing the case of suicide. The hearing in the matter has been slated for next week. The court also said that quarantining Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, who had arrived in Mumbai to monitor the probe, did not send a good message and asked the Maharashtra government to ensure things are handled in a professional manner.
ED summons Rhea Chakraborty to appear on Aug 7
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actor Rhea Chakraborty for questioning on Friday in a money laundering probe stemming from a complaint filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father with the Bihar Police in connection with his death, officials said on Wednesday. They said Chakraborty, 28, has been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case on August 7.
Once she appears, the actor is expected to be questioned about her friendship with Rajput, possible business dealings and the developments that took place over the last few years between them.