Maha govt will fully cooperate with CBI in Sushant case: Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Maharashtra government will fully cooperate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for probe in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Pawar said he was sure that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will respect the Supreme Court's order upholding transfer of Patna Police's FIR in the case to the CBI.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14. The NCP is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and party leader Anil Deshmukh holds the Home portfolio.

Pawar also said he was hopeful that the investigation in the actor's death will not be carried on the way it happened in rationalist Narendra Dabholkar's murder case, which has remained unresolved. Dabholkar, a well-known anti-superstition activist, was shot dead on August 20, 2013, in Pune.

"I am sure the Maharashtra Govt will respect the judgement of the Supreme Court to handover Sushant Singh Rajput's case to the CBI and fully cooperate in the investigation process," Pawar tweeted. "I hope the investigation will not be carried on, as was done with Dr Narendra Dabholkars murder case also under investigation by the #CBI which commenced in 2014 and remains unresolved, the former Union minister said.

After Rajput was found hanging in June, the Mumbai Police started a probe and recorded statements of 56 people, including the late actor's sisters, actress Rhea Chakraborty and some other film personalities. Rajput's father K K Singh had lodged a separate complaint with Patna Police in connection with the actor's death and the Bihar government later recommended a CBI probe into the case.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the transfer of the FIR, lodged in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty and others for allegedly abetting Rajput's suicide, to the CBI. The apex court said the Bihar government is competent to transfer the case to the CBI for investigation.