Rhea Chakraborty with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. On Thursday, HC reserved its order on an FIR quashing a plea filed by Rajput’s sisters

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on a quashing petition filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s two sisters, but not before saying a few words of praise for the late actor.

“From his face one can make out that he was innocent and sober and a very good human being. Even in M S Dhoni. Everyone loved him... They liked him, especially in that film,” said a bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik.

The sisters, Priyanka Singh and Mitu Singh, were seeking orders to quash a September 7, 2020, FIR lodged at Bandra police station by actor and Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty against them and a doctor for allegedly procuring a fake prescription of antidepressants for their brother and accusing them of abetting his suicide in June last year.

Senior counsel Vikas Singh, who flew in from Delhi for the sisters, said Chakraborty’s FIR was a “counter case’’ as she was being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the abetment of suicide case lodged by Rajput’s father. He also said she had given three different versions in different fora and it was she who admitted to blocking his calls in his last days and could be responsible for his depression. Chakraborty’s counsel Satish Maneshinde, though, rebutted all allegations and said her complaint was over a “fake medical prescription” which needs to be investigated.

Singh said going by the CBI affidavit in their plea, there seems to be no evidence against the sisters. He said even if a patient is not available for a physical checkup, the caretaker can approach the doctor under the telemedicine guidelines in the midst of the pandemic. Hence, the sisters had done no wrong, besides there was nothing to show Rajput had consumed any medicines, Singh added.

Additional solicitor general Anil Singh for CBI said the agency was already probing the unnatural death of the actor following a Supreme Court order, and the state should have transferred the case to it.

For the state, senior counsel Devdatta Kamat said that was what the state had done the case, registered on September 7, was promptly transferred to the CBI and the SC order provided for any new FIR to be sent to the CBI. He also said the case of an alleged prescription without valid and mandated consultation needs to be investigated as there are chats between Rajput and his sister earlier in June 2020. He also cited provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Maneshinde, while seeking dismissal of the sisters’ petition, said Chakraborty had an “altercation” with Rajput and was aware he was taking medicines but was not aware of the prescription and only when it was available on social media did she feel it could be the cause of his suicide. He said one circumstance behind his suicide could be a “dangerous cocktail of drugs, narcotic substances and medicines”. He said Chakraborty left Rajput’s home on June 8 and till then, for 14 months, had taken care of him. Maneshinde said after probing the case, the CBI can always file a closure report if it finds no evidence, but it cannot be quashed at this premature stage.

Priyanka (38) and Mitu (45) had petitioned HC to have the FIR quashed as they alleged it was based on a “concocted story’’ and “unfounded allegations, unsubstantiated facts and speculation” by Chakraborty to avoid her own arrest. Chakraborty, in turn, said it was “preposterous” to suggest she had filed the complaint to avoid arrest. The HC called for written submissions from all and reserved its order.