Actor Sooraj Pancholi acquitted in Jiah Khan suicide case

Gulf Today Report

A Mumbai Special CBI Court on Friday acquitted actor Sooraj Pancholi in the sensational Jiah Khan death case, in which he was charged with abetment to suicide.

The verdict came almost 10 years after Jiah, 25 was found dead in her Mumbai flat in Sagar Sangeet apartments, Juhu, around midnight on June 3, 2013.

Days later, Sooraj -- son of veteran actor couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab -- was arrested and charged with abetment to suicide.

An American citizen, Jiah, 25, was found hanging around the midnight of June 3, 2013 at her flat in Sagar Sangeet Building in the posh Juhu area, according to IANS. 

Jiah was stated to be in a relationship with Sooraj -- the son of veteran actor-couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab.

She apparently left a note, which pointed the needle of suspicion towards Sooraj, who was trying to grab a foothold in Bollywood at that time.

In a major shocker for Bollywood, Sooraj was booked under IPC Section 306 for allegedly abetting Jiah's suicide, a week after she ended her life.

Subsequently, the case was handed over to the CBI after repeated pleas by Jiah's mother Rabia Khan and directives of the Bombay High Court on 3 July, 2014.

In her note, Jiah had narrated her ordeal, intimate relationship, physical abuse, mental and physical torture she suffered allegedly at the hands of Sooraj.

The prosecution in the case had examined 22 witnesses, including Jiah's mother Rabia, while Advocate Prashant Patil appeared for Sooraj.