FIR: HC relief for one Sushant sister, not for another

The Bombay High Court on Mondayrefused to quash the FIR lodged against late actor SushantSingh Rajput's sister Priyanka Singh for allegedly forging andfabricating a medical prescription for her brother, but setaside the police document against a second sister.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and M SKarnik, however, quashed the FIR against Meetu Singh, anothersister of Rajput.

The court said while there was prima facie evidenceagainst Priyanka Singh, the case against Meetu Singh does notstand.

The judges said the CBI, which is already probingRajput's death, said the central agency will also look intothe FIR against Priyanka Singh.

''We are of the considered opinion that the FIR againstpetitioner Meetu Singh does not survive,'' the bench said.

''However, the FIR against petitioner Priyanka Singh isnot quashed as we prima facie find that a case is made out,''the court observed.

The bench said its judgment shall not cause animpediment for the investigating agency to probe the FIR(against Priyanka Singh) and submit whatever report it deemsfit.

''The allegations made in the complaint, do clearlyconstitute a cognizable offence as against only petitionerPriyanka Singh justifying the registration of a case and aninvestigation thereon,'' the court noted.

It said the FIR against Meetu Singh was registered onthe basis of suspicion and vague allegations.

The sisters had approached the HC seeking to quash theFirst Information Report (FIR) lodged for alleged forgery andfabrication of a medical prescription for their brother foranxiety issues.

The FIR, naming Priyanka Singh, Meetu Singh and TarunKumar, a doctor from Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, wasfiled by the suburban Bandra police on September 7 based on acomplaint by Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.

The complaint alleged the sisters and the doctorprepared a forged and fabricated prescription for anti-depressants for the Bollywood actor.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his suburban apartmenton June 14, 2020.

His father K K Singh later lodged a case of abetmentof suicide and cheating against Chakraborty and her familymembers. The CBI is conducting a probe into the case.

After registration of the FIR against Rajput'ssisters, the Bandra police forwarded the case papers to theCentral Bureau of Investigation, as per directions of theSupreme Court which had said all cases pertaining to the deathof Rajput shall be probed by the CBI.

The court, in its order on Monday, noted that the FIRlodged by Chakraborty is in respect of the same incident(Rajput's death) having a different version of events, whichaccording to the court is permissible.

The bench said the CBI, already probing the FIR lodgedby Rajput's father K K Singh, shall also meticulously andcarefully look into the FIR lodged by Chakraborty.

During earlier hearings, senior counsel Vikas Singh,appearing for Rajput's sisters, had argued that telemedicinepractice guidelines permitted a doctor to prescribe medicinesafter online consultation.

He had claimed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic,Rajput could not go for physical consultation.

Senior counsel Devdutt Kamat, appearing for the Mumbaipolice, had opposed the plea to quash the FIR and said noonline consultation was done.

Chakraborty's advocate Satish Maneshinde had alsoopposed the plea of Rajput's sisters, and said one of thecircumstances that may have led to the actor's death was the''dangerous cocktail of drugs, narcotic substances andmedicines''.