The Bombay High Court on Wednesday acquitted actor-producer Rahul Singh in the abetment to suicide case of Pratyusha Banerjee. The Balika Vadhu star died by suicide on April 1, 2016. Justice Shivkumar Dige allowed Singh to be discharged after he argued that the case against him lacked any solid evidence.
Pratyusha Banerjee, renowned for her role in television serial Balika Vadhu, died by suicide in her Goregaon West-based residence on April 1, 2016
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday acquitted actor-producer Rahul Singh in the abetment to suicide case linked to the death of late television actor Pratyusha Banerjee, who died by suicide in April 2016.
Singh had filed a discharge application in the High Court after the Dindoshi Sessions Court had dismissed his discharge petition in August 2023, observing that the actor had died by suicide as she was depressed due to physical, emotional, and financial exploitation by Singh.
A single-judge bench of Justice Shivkumar Dige on Wednesday allowed Singh to be discharged from the suicide abetment case.
Pratyusha Banerjee Died In 2016
Pratyusha Banerjee, renowned for her role in television serial Balika Vadhu, died by suicide in her Goregaon West-based residence on April 1, 2016. Following this, Singh was booked for abetment of suicide.
On July 2, 2016, he was granted anticipatory bail by Bombay High Court. Two later, the Bangur Nagar police in April 2018 filed a chargesheet in the case, following which Singh had filed a plea for discharge.
In his petition, accessed by the Hindustan Times, he claimed that they were planning to get married in December 2016, but Banerjee was "deeply disturbed and frustrated" because of the "constant interference" by her parents in her affairs.
According to Singh, when he tried to stop her from sending money to her parents, leading to a rift in their relationship. He alleged that the actor's parents used to spend her money to fund their lavish lifestyle.
"The deceased (Banerjee) being a well-educated and established actress, had a choice of walking out of the relationship anytime. But she chose to live with Singh. This ultimately proves contrary to what has been alleged by her mother", he said in the plea.
Citing the couple's last call on the day of the incident, Singh's counsel argued: "The last conversation clearly shows that he was trying to console her and repeatedly telling her that he loved her and was coming home. This was important to show that there was no intention on his part to abet her suicide", reported HT.
Questioning the registration of the FIR against Singh without a suicide note, he argued that "any evidence forcing the case to go forward to trial would be an abuse of process".