Sushant case: Swamy appointed lawyer says CBI probe only way out

MUMBAI: Ishkaran Singh Bhandari, whom BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy earlier appointed to initiate a CBI probe into the Sushant Singh Rajput case, wants to build a mass movement to get justice for the late actor.

Bhandari, a lawyer and political analyst, feels a CBI probe has become mandatory in the case, in order to avoid the brewing turf war between Bihar Police and Mumbai Police.

Back in June, the news of Sushant's death and subsequent reports on depression and suicide, left many wondering about the factors that might have driven the actor to take his own life. A twist in the narrative came when it emerged that the late actor's father KK Singh has filed an FIR in Bihar accusing six people including Sushant's girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide. A Bihar Police team is currently investigating the case in Mumbai.

"From the first week of July, I have been saying after studying the case that it needs a CBI investigation. Unfortunately, Mumbai Police have not even registered an FIR up till now. An FIR is the first step to investigate a criminal offence. They did not even take the first step," Bhandari told IANS.

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"The family went to Bihar, and Bihar Police has now registered a criminal case, which they are investigating. But the Bihar Police will face some jurisdictional issues as well as logistical issues because law and order is the state's affair," he added.

The lawyer continued: "So everybody wants justice and we have already wasted 45 days and more on this case. Evidence gets lost and evidence gets tampered. So, in the interest of justice and transparency, it is best that the case now goes to CBI. Also because the Enforcement Directorate, a central agency, is already looking into the money laundering angle."

"A central agency is anyway going to get involved. So, it should go to a central agency. This would probably not have been needed if Mumbai police had done a fair investigation and registered an FIR. But since they haven't, the only solution to this is a CBI investigation and not a turf war between Bihar and Mumbai government, and lengthy court proceedings. Just give it to CBI, let us have justice and a thorough investigation into the Sushant Singh Rajput case."

On June 14, Sushant was found hanging in his residence in Mumbai. The post-mortem report stated that the actor had committed suicide.

Bhandari feels it was "completely wrong to have said it is a case of suicide".

"Mumbai Police said it even before the post mortem was final, or even before other reports had come in. What if these reports stated that there was poison in the body? How can you decide in, not even day one, (that it was suicide), and you didn't call it a mysterious death? You didn't seal the flat. We all know so many lapses in investigation and I have written three letters to Mumbai Police, pointing out what all should have been done," he said.

The lawyer, who recently initiated a peaceful digital protest #Candle4SSR demanding justice for Sushant, feels that the narrative laid out by the Mumbai Police is riddled with loopholes.

"They know the law, so are they deliberately not following the law, or do they have some ulterior motive for not doing it strictly as per the law? That clearly shows that it has to go to CBI. In these cases, if there is a deliberate attempt to not investigate a matter, sometimes the CBI investigates the entire probe team, too. We really need to get to the bottom of it because at the end of the day we need to ensure justice to Sushant Singh Rajput," said Bhandari.

However, he says there is a significant improvement now.

"Now, an issue which was basically considered dead and buried, is out in the public light and the nation is on it. Everybody is speaking about it. We are still away from justice, as there will be a turf war. So we need to have more changes so that we reach to justice in this case," he said, adding that every step should be taken to ensure justice.

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