'Because accused is…': What SC said about Rhea Chakraborty in Sushant Singh Rajput case

The Supreme Court's ruling comes after the Bombay High Court on February 22 quashed the LOCs issued against Rhea Chakraborty and her brother.

In a significant development in the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case, the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Bombay High Court's decision to revoke the CBI's lookout circular issued against Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family.

Rhea was arrested in 2020 by the NCB on the charges of supplying marijuana to Sushant Singh Rajput.(AFP File)

The bench openly criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Maharashtra government, and the Bureau of Immigration for questioning the Bombay High Court's ruling simply because the accused held high-profile status.

Justices B.R. Gavai and KV Viswanathan, who were hearing the matter, openly condemned the petition as "frivolous" and issued a stern warning against the investigation agencies.

READ | Rhea Chakraborty ‘never imagined’ being vilified after Sushant Singh Rajput's death: No one prepared me

The top court's ruling comes after the Bombay High Court on February 22 quashed the LOCs issued against Chakraborty and her brother Showik and their parents -- Indrajit and Sandhya. The LOCs were issued against them in 2020.

"This frivolous petition is motivated solely by the fact that one of the accused is a prominent figure. It will be dismissed with significant costs. Both individuals have strong ties to the community," the Supreme Court said.

Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic death

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his residence in Mumbai on June 14, 2020. The death of the 34-year-old 'Chichore' actor sent shockwaves across the nation.

On July 25, Sushant's family filed a case of abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, and cheating against Rhea Chakraborty, who was in a relationship with Sushant at the time of his death, in Patna, where Sushant's father lives.

Rhea Chakraborty's legal battle in Sushant Singh Rajput case

In August 2020, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opened an investigation into allegations of money laundering linked to Sushant's death. Rhea and her brother were questioned on August 7.

On August 19, the Supreme Court handed the investigation of the death over to the CBI, taking it away from the Mumbai Police. Around the same time, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) also began a parallel investigation into the allegations of drug trafficking and abuse linked to Sushant's death.

On September 8, 2020, Rhea was arrested for supplying Marijuana to Sushant Singh Rajput. She remained in judicial custody for almost a month before she was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 7.