HC discharges actor Rahul Singh from 2016 Pratyusha Banerjee suicide abetment case

Singh had filed a discharge application in the high court after the Dindoshi sessions court had rejected his discharge plea in August 2023, observing that she died by suicide apparently as she was depressed

MUMBAI: Ten years after actor Pratyusha Banerjee died by suicide, the Bombay high court on Wednesday discharged her then boyfriend, actor-producer Rahul Singh from the suicide abetment case.

Mumbai, Aug 08, 2015 - Rahul Raj Singh and Pratyusha was seen during a birthday party of Pratyusha Banerjee. (Hindustan Times)

Singh had filed a discharge application in the high court after the Dindoshi sessions court had rejected his discharge plea in August 2023, observing that she died by suicide apparently as she was depressed because of physical, emotional, financial harassment and exploitation by Singh. A single-judge bench of Justice Shivkumar Dige on Wednesday allowed Singh to be discharged from the case.

Banerjee, famed for her role in the television serial Balika Vadhu, died by suicide in her apartment in Goregaon West on April 1, 2016, after which Singh was booked for abetting her suicide. Singh was granted anticipatory bail by Bombay high court on July 2, 2016. Two years after the probe, the Bangur Nagar police in April 2018 filed a chargesheet in the case after which the actor had filed a plea for discharge.

In the plea filed through advocate Shreyansh Mithare, Singh claimed that they were planning to get married in December 2016, but Banerjee was “deeply disturbed and frustrated” due to “the constant interference” by her parents in her affairs.

Singh said when he tried to stop her from giving money to her parents, it caused a rift in their relationship. He also claimed that she was disturbed because of her parents and not him. He alleged that Pratyusha’s parents were in the habit of spending their daughter’s money to fund their lavish lifestyle.

In his application, Singh stated, “The deceased (Banerjee) being a well-educated and established actress, had a choice of walking out of the relationship anytime. But she chose to live with Singh. This ultimately proves contrary to what has been alleged by her mother.” He further relied on the last telephonic conversations recorded between him and Banerjee just before her death.

Singh’s counsel, advocate Shreyansh Mithare, said the court took note of the last telephonic conversation between the couple on the day of the incident in which Singh was trying to console Banerjee, who was upset with her parents. “The last conversation clearly shows that he was trying to console her and repeatedly telling her that he loved her and was coming home. This was important to show that there was no intention on his part to abet her suicide”, Mithare said. He also questioned the registration of the FIR against Singh without even a suicide note and said “any evidence forcing the case to go forward to trial would be an abuse of process”.