Sushant Singh Rajput case: Rhea Chakraborty moves Bombay HC against CBI lookout circular

Mumbai: Rhea Chakraborty has moved the Bombay High Court challenging the lookout circular issued against her by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with its probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Rajput was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14, 2020, and his father had, in July that year, lodged a complaint with Bihar police accusing Chakraborty, the actor's then-girlfriend, and her kin of abetting his suicide.

In her plea, Chakraborty sought for the circular to be quashed and in a separate application sought temporary suspension of the circular as she has to travel abroad for a professional event.

On Friday, her counsel Abhinav Chandrachud submitted to a division bench led by Justice A S Gadkari that it has been almost three years since the FIR was lodged by the CBI and the lookout circular issued but till date there has been no other progress.

The CBI has never issued any summons to Chakraborty and has not even filed its charge sheet, her counsel told court.

Advocate Shriram Shirsat, appearing for the CBI, said the agency has filed its affidavit in reply to the plea.

The bench then sought to know if Chakraborty had travelled abroad before.

Chandrachud said Chakraborty, after securing bail in the drugs case, had got permission from the special NDPS court to travel abroad but she could not do so due to the CBI's lookout circular.

The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on December 20.

While the Mumbai police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and started a probe, Sushant's father in July 2020 lodged a complaint with Bihar police alleging Chakraborty and her family members had abetted his suicide.

The case was later transferred to the CBI, which in August 2020 issued the lookout circular against Chakraborty and her brother Showik Chakraborty.

In September this year, the HC temporarily suspended the circular issued against Showik enabling him to travel abroad.

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