Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday hailed the Supreme Court's judgment upholding the transfer of an FIR lodged in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case at Patna to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
"Nyay ki jeet hui hain (truth has triumphed)," Kumar said on the apex court's verdict.
Director General of Police Gupteswar Pandey said that the Supreme Court’s decision to transfer Rajput's death case to the CBI vindicated the Bihar police’s stand that it was doing things in accordance with the law and Constitution.
His comments came after the apex court upheld the transfer to the CBI of an FIR, lodged at Patna against actress Rhea Chakraborty and others for allegedly abetting the suicide of the actor.
It said that Bihar government is competent to transfer the case to the central agency for investigation.
"With the verdict, the country came to know that the Bihar police was doing nothing wrong in it. The fact of the matter is that it was carrying out its job with right intention to ensure justice for Sushant Singh Rajput,” DGP Pandey said.
There were, however, some people who were feeling "uneasy" as they might get exposed, he added.
"I can’t tell you about the time-frame (on completing the probe). It may take one month, three months or more. This is a high-profile case, which the entire nation is closely watching, and a professional investigation agency is carrying out the probe on the directive of the apex court. I am quite confident that the truth will come out finally,” Pandey said.
Further, he said that it was Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who supported a CBI probe into the actor’s death and this kept hopes alive for justice for Rajput.
"Rhea Chakraborty does not have the aukaat (stature) to comment on the Bihar chief minister," he said.
Chakraborty had challenged the Bihar government’s jurisdiction in the matter and sought the transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai. She had also alleged that the Bihar government's action was inspired by the upcoming state polls.
K K Singh, the actor’s 74-year-old father, had lodged an FIR with the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna last month, nearly 40 days after his son was found hanging from the ceiling at his Bandra residence in Mumbai on June 14.
The Bihar police had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), and sent its four police officers to Mumbai for carrying out investigation.
Later, the Bihar government recommended the case for a CBI probe after Rajput’s father gave his nod for the same.
Bihar's Advocate General Lalit Kishore said the apex court order vindicated the steps taken by the state government which were as per the law and the Constitution.
The Bihar government’s action was well within the ambit of the law, he added.
The Maharashtra government and Mumbai police tried to create obstacles but justice prevailed, Kishore said.
State Water Resources Minister and senior Janata Dal-United leader Sanjay Kumar Jha, whom Rajput's family had approached in the case and who had taken the matter to the CM, welcomed the order, stating that he is pleased as CBI will now get to the root of the perpetrators behind the heinous crime.
"Justice is finally delivered! Grateful Hon Supreme Court On behalf of millions of truth seekers across the world who are devastated by suspect death of #SushantSinghRajpoot, I express my gratitude to Hon CM Shri @NitishKumar for having recommended a #CBI enquiry," he tweeted.
Taking a swipe at the Mumbai police, he alleged they did nothing in the name of investigation and only indulged in photo ops in its bid to cover-up the case.
On the Shiv Sena's allegation of scoring political points in the case in view of the coming state polls, Jha, a close associate of Kumar, said the chief minister and the government “only came into the picture" after Rajput's father expressed dissatisfaction over the investigations.
"We came into picture and played our role only after Sushant Singh Rajput's family filed an FIR. We acted in honour of people’s sentiment that justice should be done in the matter." he told PTI.
Rajput’s cousin and Bihar BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Singh 'Bablu' hailed the verdict, saying that the family was very happy that justice will now be done in the case and truth will come out.
