Sooraj Pancholi got a dream debut in Bollywood with Hero in 2015. However, two years before that, he was arrested on June 10, 2013, over abetment charges related to Jiah Khan’s death. They were dating prior to her death by suicide. Pancholi spent 22 days at Arthur Road Jail. After a long ordeal and a trial, a special CBI court in April 2023 cleared him of all charges due to lack of evidence. Three years later, Sooraj made an appeal not to assume that there were no ‘unanswered questions’ from the legal proceedings.
Sooraj Pancholi reacts to 14-year-long court trial
On Instagram, shared a long note explaining his side of the story and the impact of Jiah’s death on his life. The actor said in his caption that he knew Jiah only for four months before her untimely demise. He was just 20 when the incident happened. “I had no idea what she may have been going through internally. At that age, I was too young to understand that someone could be carrying so much. What followed changed my life forever,” he wrote.
Sooraj further added that he spent 14 years proving his innocence and lived ‘under the weight of a trial’ that consumed his 20s and a part of his 30s. He wrote that despite the court acquitting him in the case, people continue to judge him and hold him guilty for the actress’ death.
Sooraj Pancholi’s Instagram post
Sooraj Pancholi shares his side of the story
Sooraj Pancholi says he remained silent to protect Jiah Khan’s privacy
Breaking his silence on the , Sooraj shared, “Out of respect, I have never spoken publicly about the personal traumas she shared with me or the struggles she faced in her life. I chose to protect her privacy despite everything I have been through. I only ask for the same fairness and respect in return.”
He urged people to be mindful of their words for him as every ‘misleading video, and every false narrative reopens a chapter I have spent years trying to survive.’
Sooraj Pancholi’s statement
Jiah Khan death case
Jiah Khan, a well-known Bollywood actress, was found dead on June 3, 2012, at her Juhu apartment. She was 25. The post-mortem revealed that the cause of death was hanging, and the Mumbai Police initially treated the case as a suicide. Amid the investigation, a six-page handwritten note was recovered from her home. Reportedly written by Jiah, it described emotional pain, a troubled relationship, and alleged physical and emotional abuse by her boyfriend, Sooraj. Based on the note, Pancholi was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.
Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan maintained that the actress’ death was not a suicide, but a murder. In 2014, the Bombay High Court transferred the investigation from the Mumbai Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). After a thorough investigation, the CBI concluded that there was no foul play or evidence in murder. Sooraj was later acquitted in the case.