New Delhi: The Bihar government and the father of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput Thursday moved the Supreme Court by filing caveats to ensure that actress Rhea Chakraborty does not get the relief of transfer of the FIR from Patna to Mumbai in the death case of the actor without they being heard.
Caveat is a pre-emptive legal measure taken to ensure that a party does not get any favourable order without a notice or a hearing accorded to the opponent.
The caveats were filed by the state government and Krishna Kishore Singh, father of the late actor, a day after Chakraborty, the rumoured girlfriend of Rajput, had moved the top court seeking transfer of the FIR lodged at Patna to Mumbai for the offence of abetment of suicide.
Earlier in the day, Rajput's father filed the caveat through lawyer Nitin Saluja after getting the advice of family advocate Vikas Singh and urged the court that "Let nothing be done in the above matter without prior notice to the undersigned."
Senior advocate Vikas Singh had said that Chakraborty''s plea in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of an FIR from Patna indicated that "somebody in Mumbai police was helping her."
Later in the day, the Bihar government, which has given a new twist to the ongoing probe of the Mumbai police by lodging an FIR at the instance of Rajput's father for offences like criminal conspiracy and abetment of suicide against Rhea, followed the suit and filed the caveat in the apex court through its lawyer Keshav Mohan.
The state government and the father of Rajput have been made parties to the transfer petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty in the apex court.
SC junks PIL for CBI probe
In a related development, the top court on Thursday junked a PIL, filed by one Alka Priya, seeking transfer of probe into Rajput's death case from Mumbai police to the CBI. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that Mumbai police be allowed to do the job and if there is something, then a plea be filed before the Bombay High Court.
"Go to Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete to show," the court said while dismissing the PIL.
Rajput, aged 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then the Mumbai police has been probing the case keeping in mind various angles.
Rajput's father, on July 25, had lodged the FIR at Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna against Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, accusing them of abetting the actor's suicide. It led Chakraborty to rush to the top court to seek transfer of Patna FIR to Bandra in Mumbai.
Subramanian Swamy writes to PM
Meanwhile, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a comprehensive probe, including by the CBI and other central agencies, into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Swamy alleged in his letter to the prime minister that the actor's death was a case of murder and not suicide.
He said a CBI probe has become "even more necessary" after an FIR was registered by the Bihar police in Patna on a complaint filed by Rajput's father.
The Mumbai police is also investigating the matter.
"Thus, now two states are investigating in the matter arising from the same sad event of the unnatural death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Therefore, it is in the larger interest of justice that there should be a single investigation...," Swamy said.
This is the Rajya Sabha MP's second letter to the prime minister over the matter.
He said he had enclosed with the letter a tabulation, giving "24 reasons why Sushant Singh Rajput's mysterious death is actually a murder, not a suicide".
Swamy claimed that there are "enough multi-dimensional issues connected with the untimely death" of the actor, which require a "joint investigation by CBI with NIA and ED".
He alleged that terror links of Rajput's "opponents" and money laundering appear to be factors in his death.
"I think in the larger national interest, your intervention is required and I request you to take necessary steps to ensure that a comprehensive investigation as suggested above is carried out in the larger national -- social, political and security interests," Swamy wrote.
ED seeks FIR against Rhea
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought from the Bihar police a copy of the FIR registered against actress Rhea Chakraborty and some others in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in order to probe a possible money laundering angle, officials said on Thursday.
Officials said the central probe agency has written to the Bihar police in this context as it is looking into the case for a possible investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Bihar police case was registered under various IPC sections including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide).
The ED's interest, they said, is into the allegations of alleged mishandling of Rajput's money and his bank accounts.
The agency will probe if anyone used Rajput's income for money laundering and creating illegal assets, they said.
The ED can attach assets of the accused and also has the power to make arrests under the PMLA.
(With inputs from PTI)
