Jiah Khan's Mother Reacts To Sooraj Pancholi Acquittal In 'Abetment To Suicide' Case: How Did My Child Die?

A CBI special court in Mumbai on Friday acquitted actor Sooraj Pancholi, who was accused of abetment in the suicide of actress Jiah Khan in 2013. Pancholi was present in the court along with his parents Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab at the time when Special Judge A.S. Sayyed pronounced the much-anticipated verdict before a packed courtroom. 

"Due to paucity of evidence, this court can't hold you guilty. Hence acquitted," said Special Judge Sayyed, adding that Rabiya Khan, Jiah's mother, could appeal in the matter in the Bombay High Court.

Now, Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan has reacted to the verdict, and reportedly said, “The charge of abetment to suicide has gone. But how did my child die? This is a case of murder...will approach the high court. She has been refuting the prosecution's case that this was a case of suicide.

Nafisa Rizvi Khan, 25, famous as Jiah, was found dead in her Mumbai flat in Sagar Sangeet apartments, Juhu, on June 3, 2013. The police later recovered a note left by Jiah, which pointed out her troubled relationship, the ordeal, intimacy, physical and mental abuse by Sooraj Pancholi. Based on the note, the Mumbai Police booked and arrested him under IPC Sec. 306 (abetment to suicide).

In July 2014, the Bombay High Court transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the CBI also upheld the case as 'suicide' in February 2016.

Undeterred, Rabiya even challenged the CBI investigation report in the high court and continued allegations of 'murder' against Sooraj. In 2022, Rabiya moved the Bombay High Court to reopen the case, and claimed that her daughter was "murdered".

Jiah is best remembered for her role with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Nishabd' (2007), and other superhits like 'Ghajini' (2008) with Aamir Khan. Sooraj, on the other hand, was last seen in 'Time To Dance' (2021).