Jiah Khan's mum told to reply to Sooraj Pancholi's plea

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Tuesday asked Rabia Khan, the mother of Bollywood actress Jiah Khan who allegedly committed suicide at her Juhu residence in June 2013, to file her reply within two weeks over the petition filed by actor Sooraj Pancholi who had sought expedition of his trial in the sessions court. Sooraj Pancholi is accused of allegedly abetting suicide of Jiah Khan. According to Sooraj Pancholi, Rabia is allegedly delaying the proceedings of the trial.

A single bench of the high court was hearing a petition filed by actor Sooraj Pancholi who alleged that Jiah’s mother Rabia is using various tactics to delay proceedings of the trial court. She had filed an application seeking permission to address the trial court directly.

On Tuesday, the court while hearing the matter said that “Respondent number one (Rabia) will have to abide procedure of the court, therefore, she cannot appear independently in the trial court, she will have to go through special public prosecutor appointed in the case.”

The high court also said that pendency of this petition should not be construed as a stay in the trial. The sessions court should go ahead with the trial.

Jiah Khan was found hanging in her Juhu residence on June 3, 2013. On the basis of her call records and messages in the BlackBerry Messenger, the Juhu police had investigated the matter initially. Suraj Pancholi was arrested on the June 23, 2013, and he was granted bail on July 2, 2013.

Jiah’s mother Rabia had moved Bombay high court and demanded transfer of investigation to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In the July 2014, the HC also directed the CBI to investigate the case and file chargesheet.

In the chargesheet, the CBI had claimed that Pancholi had abetted the suicide, but Rabia was not satisfied with the conclusion of CBI and sought fresh investigation by a special investigation team (SIT). However, her petition was rejected.