CBI files closure report in Sushant Rajput case: ‘Simple case of suicide’

Rajput was found hanging by his staff at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020.

“The CBI has filed a closure report stating that it is a simple case of suicide before the Bandra court,” an official of the CBI told The Indian Express. Officials declined to give details on the reason for the closure report. The CBI has filed a list of documents and witnesses along with its final report and the court has fixed April 8 for hearing the matter and further orders.

The CBI had filed an FIR on August 6, 2020, naming Rhea Chakraborty, her parents and brother, and two others, on charges including abetment of suicide, cheating, wrongful restraint, theft, criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation of the Indian Penal Code. This FIR was on a complaint filed by Rajput’s father to Patna police, alleging that these persons had caused Rajput to take the extreme step.

As per procedure, when a closure report is filed, the investigating officer gives reasons for closing the case, including if there is insufficient evidence or no evidence to proceed against any of the accused. If the closure report is permitted, the case will be disposed of.

In 2020, after Rajput’s death, the Mumbai police had filed an Accidental Death Report.

Over a month later, his father K K Singh had approached Patna police for an FIR against Rhea and others. Rhea had then approached the Supreme Court with a transfer petition, seeking transfer of the case to Mumbai. The Bihar government had meanwhile transferred its probe to the CBI. On August 19, 2020, the Supreme Court said that to “ensure public confidence” and “do complete justice in the matter”, it was transferring the entire probe to the CBI. It also said that if any other case is registered on the death of the actor or the surrounding circumstances, the CBI would investigate it as well.

On September 7, 2020, Mumbai police filed a counter FIR on the complaint of Rhea against Rajput’s sisters Priyanka Singh and Meetu Singh and Dr Tarun Kumar, alleging that they had conspired and illegally procured false prescription on the letterhead of a government hospital and administered psychotropic substances to Rajput which “may result in a chronic anxiety attack and resulted into commission of suicide and abetted the same”.

Mumbai police immediately transferred the case to the CBI. While the case against Meetu Singh was quashed by the Bombay High Court in February 2021, it said that the probe against Priyanka would continue. The Supreme Court too upheld the order.

The CBI did not file a separate FIR into these allegations made by Rhea and continued to probe the death in the same FIR filed earlier, which it has now sought to close.

In October 2024, the Supreme Court rejected a CBI plea to reinstate a lookout notice against Rhea and her family, calling it “frivolous” and “unnecessary”.

The 34-year-old actor’s death on June 14, 2020, created a furore with demands for a probe into his untimely death. While there were initial reports that Rajput was suffering from mental health issues, many took to social media with conspiracy theories including that he was murdered. Others linked Rajput’s death to the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, days before his death, on June 8, 2020.

In 2020, the Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power in Maharashtra with Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minister. Mumbai police, which had filed an Accidental Death Report, was targeted on social media and even some Opposition leaders joined the criticism. Targeting Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya, then Union Minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane claimed that Rajput was murdered and his death was linked to Salian. The Mumbai police, probing Salian’s death, had found no foul play. The CBI too did not say anything about a possible link between the two deaths.

This week, after Salian’s father spoke of approaching the Bombay High Court seeking an FIR against Aaditya, Rane again took to targeting the Shiv Sena leader and demanded his resignation. Aaditya has maintained this is being done to malign him, that it has been continuing for five years and that he will respond in court. Opposition leaders also questioned the timing of the allegations, made during the ongoing session of the state Assembly.

While the CBI filed an FIR in 2020, the Narcotics Control Bureau opened a separate probe and arrested Rhea in September 2020, alleging her involvement in procuring marijuana for Rajput. That case is still pending.