On Tuesday, Actress Rhea Chakraborty who is accused by later actor Sushant’s family for abetment to suicide has urged the Bombay High Court to dismiss the plea filed by Sushant’s sisters seeking to quash an FIR registered against them. Rhea further alleged that Sushant died five days after obtaining an oral prescription from sister Priyanka and her friend Dr. Tarun Kumar. “It is imperative that the actions of petitioners are investigated as well,” she added.
A Division bench comprising of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik heard the writ petition filed by Priyanka Singh and Meetu Singh who sought to quash an FIR filed against them by the Mumbai police on the complaint raised by Rhea. The petitioners contended that the FIR against them was clearly a counter-blast to the FIR filed against Rhea Chakraborty by their father in Patna.
“No criminality can be attributed to the petitioners when the cause of action is attributed to the doctor. The FIR has been registered based on a complaint that is wrought with material irregularities and discrepancies. The FIR has been registered after an inordinate delay of 90 days without explanation,” read the petition filed by Sushant’s sisters.
As per the complaint filed by Rhea, Sushant’s sisters were booked under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 464 (making a false document, 465 (punishment for forgery), 466 (forgery of record of court or of public register, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 474 (having possession of document), 306 (abetment of suicide) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Rhea alleged the sisters for forgery and procuring fake medical prescriptions of their late brother. She referred to the WhatsApp messages between Sushant and his sister that are already in public domain dated June 8, wherein, Priyanka Singh advised Sushant to take certain medications. Further, Rhea alleged that the prescription by Dr. Tarun Kumar which was shared by Priyanka Singh with her brother is forged and fabricated.
In a reply to the above writ petition, Rhea through her advocate Satish Maneshinde said that “As per the prescription dated 8 June 2020, Dr. Tarun Kumar prescribed Nexito 5 mg, Librium 5 mg, and Lonazep MD 0.5 mg to Sushant for anxiety. That it is pertinent to note that the tablet Librium is Chlordiazepoxide which appears at Item No. 36 in the list of psychotropic substances under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), while Nexito and Lonazep MD both contain Clonazepam which appears in the list of psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act. Sushant died merely five days after he obtained the said prescription wherein, he was unlawfully prescribed psychotropic substances at the behest of sister [Priyanka] and Dr. Tarun Kumar.”
“The actions of Priyanka, Meetu, and Dr. Kumar should be investigated to find out how they could provide Sushant Singh with bogus and unlawful prescriptions,” she added.
Subsequently, the bench has ordered Sushant’s sisters and the doctor to file their say in the matter. The bench would take up the matter for further hearing on November 4.
