Verifying if Rhea Chakraborty promotes firm for which she wants to travel abroad: CBI tells Bombay HC

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court it was still verifying if actor Rhea Chakraborty was the brand ambassador of a company and thus needs to travel abroad for its event.

Chakraborty had filed a petition in HC challenging a lookout circular issued against her by the CBI in connection with its probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Chakraborty, former girlfriend of Rajput, also filed an application seeking temporary suspension of the circular saying she needs to travel to Dubai from December 27 to January 2 for professional commitments.

She claimed she was the brand ambassador of a pet food maker and hence she had to travel for the company’s event.

CBI’s advocate Shreeram Shirsat informed a division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and SC Chandak that the agency was still verifying the actor’s claims about her association with the company.

Shirsat said as per information received by the CBI, Chakraborty was no longer the brand ambassador of the company – Drools Pet Food Private Limited – and that someone else has been appointed.

According to the agency, actor Kiara Advani is now the brand ambassador. Shirsat sought some more time to verify this.

Chakraborty’s counsel Abhinav Chandrachud urged the court to post the matter for hearing on Friday (December 22).

The bench, however, said it will not hurry in the matter and if CBI wants time to verify then it has to give the agency time.

The court said Chakraborty can move the vacation bench on December 26.

Actor Rajput was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020.

While the Mumbai police registered an accidental death report case and started a probe, the actor's father in July 2020 lodged a complaint with the Bihar police alleging Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members had abetted his suicide.

The case was later transferred to the CBI which has since then been carrying out a probe into the actor’s death.

The lookout circular was issued in August 2020 against Chakraborty and also her brother Showik Chakraborty.

In September this year, the high court had granted a temporary suspension on the circular issued against Showik enabling him to travel abroad.

Both Rhea and Showik were in 2020 arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drugs case related to Rajput. They were later granted bail.