The Bombay High Court on Thursday declined a plea for
setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of Bollywood
actress Jiah Khan.
The plea was filed by Jiah's mother, Rabia Khan, a British
national, who had sought formation of an SIT to probe the causes leading to the
death of her daughter on June 3, 2013.
Claiming that her US citizen daughter was murdered, Khan has
also contested the investigators' version that Jiah allegedly committed suicide
by hanging at her home in Sagar Sangeet Apartments in the posh Juhu area that
evening.
A division bench comprising Justice Ranjit More and Justice
Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi ruled that since the matter is already being probed by
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) there was no need to interfere.
Dismissing Khan's plea, the judges also rejected an
intervention application filed by actor Sooraj Pancholi seeking that he be
heard as the trial court is yet to frame charges on the basis of the CBI
chargesheet.
Firstly, Mumbai Police had investigated the sensational case
of the celebrity which was later transferred to the CBI.
Jiah, 25, left behind a note allegedly pointing a finger at
Pancholi, her then boyfriend and son of actor-couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina
Wahab.
Later, Mumbai police had arrested Sooraj Pancholi on charges
of 'abetment to (Jiah's) suicide' and he was later granted bail.
The CBI had concurred with Mumbai police that Jiah's death
was a suicide and not a murder.
Khan had earlier moved the Supreme Court with a similar plea
(seeking an SIT) alleging Pancholi was behind Jiah's death, but she was
directed to approach the Bombay High Court.
At a previous hearing, Khan's counsel had submitted pictures
of Jiah's body, the autopsy report and another report by experts in Britain who
had stated the nature of injuries on the victim's body suggested the
possibility of homicide.
Thursday's high court order is likely to pave the way for
the trial to start in the lower court on the basis of the CBI chargesheet.
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