Jiah Khan suicide case: Verdict likely today; Sooraj Pancholi faces abetment charge

Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi, who is facing charges of abetting the suicide of actress Jiah Khan, on Friday, April 29, arrived at a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai, as the special court is likely to announce its verdict today.

Son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, actor Suraj Pancholi had been accused of abetting the suicide of Jiah Khan, who was found dead in her suburban home on June 3, 2013. Based on a six-page letter allegedly written by Khan, who was discovered hanging in her Juhu home, Suraj Pancholi was booked under Section 306 (abetment to suicide).

Background of Jiah Khan’s suicide case

Actor Sooraj Pancholi was rumoured to have had a relationship with actress Jiah Khan before she committed suicide. Jiah Khan's mother, Rabia Khan, a key prosecution witness in the case, told the court that she believed it was a case of murder and not suicide. The Bombay High Court last year had dismissed her plea seeking a fresh probe into the case. Rabia filed a petition with the Bombay High Court in October 2013 seeking a CBI investigation into the issue, asserting that her daughter had been murdered.

In July 2014, the CBI took over the investigation from the Maharashtra Police at the Bombay High Court's direction. According to Rabia, Sooraj Pancholi was aggressive towards her daughter.