Sushant Singh case: Two PILs in SC for CBI probe into actor's death

A day before the Supreme Court takes up the plea of Rhea Chakraborty seeking transfer of the case registered against her in Patna, by Sushant Singh Rajput's father, to Mumbai, two public interest litigations (PILs) have been filed in the apex court seeking a CBI probe into the death of Bollywood actor.

The two PILs, one by lawyer Ajay Agarwal and the other by Mumbai-based law student Dwivendra Devtadeen Dubey, have been filed even as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sent a recommendation to the Central Bureau of Investigation to take up the case filed by Sushant's father in Patna.

Sushant was found dead at his residence in Bandra in Mumbai on June 14.

Agarwal, who has pursued the politically-sensitive Bofors scam in the top court, has urged the apex court to issue direction to the CBI to take up the investigations into the death of the Bollywood actor.

In his plea, he said that the upcoming Bollywood film star "was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Mumbai police immediately declared it a case of suicide. But nobody could swallow this theory of suicide of a bright upcoming star who played a lead role in the film on M.S. Dhoni".

The lawyer argued that though the apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, had, on July 30, already rejected a PIL seeking CBI probe into the matter, there have been further developments since then.

Agarwal said the media is reporting extensively on Sushant's mysterious death and there is also unsavoury war of words between Bihar's Director General of Police, Gupteshwar Pandey and Maharashtra Police officers. He insisted that there is something fishy in the investigation of Mumbai Police and it seems that "it wants to hide and suppress some material facts which are necessary for impartial and fair investigation of the case".

"That is why the present Maharashtra government is shy of recommending a CBI inquiry into the matter wherein its act in this matter is under a cloud," he argued.

Agarwal urged the top court to issue direction to the CBI to take up the investigation in the death of Sushant and the events which led to his untimely death in the case registered in Mumbai as well as in Patna.

"Bihar government, in the early hours today (Tuesday) has recommended a CBI inquiry into this matter but the Maharashtra government may not agree for the CBI inquiry of Sushant Singh death case in its state. Therefore a uniform CBI inquiry in the Mumbai case as well as the FIR lodged in Patna in Sushant Singh death case is necessary for the actual truth to come out in the matter," added the plea.