The vacation bench of the Bombay High Court has made a significant decision to suspend the lookout circular (LOC) issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty. This decision grants her permission to travel to Dubai for a week, from December 27th to January 2nd, where she is scheduled to take part in an event as a brand ambassador for a pet food company. The LOC had initially been issued by the CBI in connection with its ongoing investigation into the untimely demise of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020.
The order was issued by a vacation bench comprised of Justices Kamal R Khata and Jitendra S Jain in response to a plea filed by Rhea Chakraborty. Represented by her advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, she emphasized her active role as the brand ambassador for the pet food manufacturer and the necessity to fulfill her contractual commitments through her upcoming travel.
Chakraborty's Claim and CBI's Response
On December 20th, the CBI's advocate, Shreeram Shirsat, informed the court that Rhea Chakraborty was no longer associated with the company as its brand ambassador. The CBI had taken the initiative to reach out to the firm to verify her claim and was awaiting their response. In light of this, the bench granted the agency the time needed to confirm this claim and provided Chakraborty with the opportunity to approach the vacation bench on December 26th to seek relief.
Special Court's Directive and Recent Developments
Earlier this month, a special court directed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to allow Rhea Chakraborty to travel to Dubai for a week. This permission came with certain conditions, including the requirement for her to surrender her passport upon her return. During the recent court proceedings, the CBI argued that Rhea Chakraborty was no longer serving as the brand ambassador for the pet food company and had been replaced by another actor. In contrast, Chakraborty's lawyer presented an email from the company as evidence to support her claim that she was actively fulfilling her brand ambassador duties.
Court's Scrutiny and Dismissal of Flight Risk Concerns
The court questioned the CBI's opposition to her plea, highlighting that she had not been summoned for any investigative purposes since September 2021, and no chargesheet had been filed against her. The CBI responded by mentioning the formation of a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the case, to which the court noted that it had been established to investigate related matters. Furthermore, the court dismissed the CBI's argument that Rhea Chakraborty might attempt to flee the country, emphasizing her status as an actor deeply rooted in Mumbai. It underscored that she was not a businessperson with questionable gains and noted that, while the CBI FIR had been filed in Patna, she had been questioned multiple times in Mumbai. Additionally, her brother Showik's plea for suspension had been considered by the Bombay High Court without being challenged by the CBI, establishing the court's competence to hear the current plea.
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