Actor Sheezan Khan’s lawyers claimed that Tunisha Sharma was dating another man and added that their client was not responsible for her death. Advocates Shailendra Mishra and Sharad Rai, representing Khan who has been accused of abetting the suicide of Sharma, told the Vasai court on Monday that Sharma had allegedly spoken to the other man, identified as Ali, before she took her own life on December 24.

Waliv police will now verify the claims and interrogate Ali. During the bail hearing, the lawyers further told the court that Sharma had allegedly met Ali, a gym instructor from Mira Road, on a dating application and that she was with him in the days before the incident.

“Sheezan is innocent. He is not involved in Tunisha Sharma’s suicide. Sharma used to be his girlfriend but they had broken up. When we met Sheezan in custody, he told us that Sharma was meeting someone named Ali,” the lawyers said.

Senior Inspector Kailas Barve of Waliv police station said, “During investigation, we learnt that Sharma met Ali on a dating application. We also found out that she was with Ali on December 21, 22 and 23. When we recorded Ali’s statement earlier, he confirmed the same. He also said that Sharma had told her about her break up with Khan. However, Khan’s lawyers on Monday told the court that Sharma spoke with Ali for 15 minutes on a video call a while before she took the extreme step. We are going to check this with her call detail records.”

Advocate Mishra told mid-day, “We need justice for our client Sheezan Khan who is innocent. The cops registered a false case and arrested him illegally. He is not involved in the suicide. In fact, Sharma was dating someone else at that time. We have submitted all relevant documents to the court. Khan should get bail and the court should ensure that his reputation is not impacted.”