Suicides in India: Jiah Khan Case hearing today

Suicide incidents since the 90s have gained immense media attention, with many of these yet remaining unsolved. Whether TV or cinema, people have witnessed many high-profile suicide cases such as Jiah Khan’s, Divya Bharti’s, Tunisha Sharma’s, Sushant Singh Rajput's, Asif Basra's and many more. Each year, India reports many suicides committed by people in the age group of 18-45 years due to several reasons, such as mental health issues, relationship problems or gender inequality etc. 

In this article, we will discuss some high-profile suicide cases, focusing on TV & Bollywood actors such as Jiah Khan, whose hearing was today, So, stay tuned & read until the end to know the judgment!

Is suicide legal in India? 

Suicide is a crime in many parts of the world; however, in India, there exists a conflict between Indian Penal Code and Mental Healthcare Act.  Section 309 of IPC is a legislation passed during the British era that classified murdering or attempting to kill oneself as a crime against the state.

Now, the answer to this above-mentioned question varies from country to country. Let’s have a look!

List of celebrities who committed suicide

Though there are many cases of suicide like Pratyusha Banerjee’s, Sejal Sharma’s etc., we have primarily focused on the ongoing Jiah Khan’s suicide case followed by a few other high-profile suicide cases of Bollywood and Television. These are as follows: 

Who is Jiah Khan & Sooraj Pancholi?

In June 2013, Jiah Khan, an American citizen, was found hanging at her apartment in Juhu, Mumbai and Sooraj is the son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab. Jiah Khan’s mother Rabia Khan, alleged that her daughter was assassinated by him. After this incident, the cops recovered a six-page letter, believed to be written by the deceased herself. Based on the letter's contents, actor Sooraj Pancholi was arrested and booked for "abetment to suicide". So, what actually happened?

1. Jiah Khan Suicide Case

• Sooraj and Jiah started dating in September 2012 & things started getting worse after which the actress committed suicide.
• Based on a letter seized on June 10, 2013, which was allegedly written by Jiah Khan, the Mumbai Police booked actor Sooraj Pancholi under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) and arrested him.
• In October 2013, Rabia approached the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe into the case alleging that her daughter had not committed suicide rather it was a murder.
• Rabia even argued that her daughter was in an abusive relationship with Sooraj Pancholi. Then, on the order of the Bombay High Court, the CBI took over the case from the Mumbai Police in July 2014.
• Sooraj Pancholi was accused based on a six-page letter purportedly written by JiahKhan herself. The CBI stated that the note narrated her "intimate relationship, physical abuse, mental and physical torture” allegedly at the hands of Sooraj, which instigated her to commit suicide.
• The case was reassigned to a special CBI court in 2021 after the sessions court stated it did not have jurisdiction upon the case as the CBI had probed it, CBI court must look into it.
• Rabia alleged that the police and CBI had not collected legal evidence to prove her daughter had committed suicide.
• Sooraj (accused), in his final argument filed before the court, Sooraj (accused) claimed the investigation and chargesheet were false, adding that prosecution witnesses had testified against him on the behest of complainant Rabia, police and CBI.
• The prosecution examined 22 witnesses, including Jiah Khan's mother. Advocate Prashant Patil, appearing for Sooraj argued that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The verdict today, on 28th April 2023, is to be passed to determine the fate of actor Sooraj Pancholi.

BREAKING: Sooraj Pancholi acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Check out these 6 suicide cases in India too.

2. Tunisha Sharma Suicide Case

Indian television actress Tunisha Sharma is the celebrity whose suicide was the most recent to be reported. She appeared as the protagonist in many TV serials like Ali Baba etc. She was found hanging on the ceiling on the sets of her TV serial that she was working on (Ali Baba). A post-mortem was then conducted, and her co-star Sheezan Khan, whom she had broken up around two weeks ago, was arrested in Mumbai for abetment of suicide. However, Sheezan Khan has now been released on bail. Of course, much more to the story is yet to be discovered. 

3. Sushant Singh Rajput Suicide Case

A suicide which shooked the nation & Bollywood entirely, it’s none other than the case of Sushant Singh Rajput’s who was a renowned Indian actor. He committed suicide on June 14, 2020, at 34. His death received immense media coverage and sparked a national conversation on mental health and the pressures faced by people in the entertainment industry. However, the Mumbai police initially investigated his death as a suicide and concluded that he died by suicide because of depression and anxiety, but for a fair investigation, the case was handed over to the CBI, which is yet investigating the case and no doubt that this case raised many conspiracy theories and rumours

4. Divya Bharti Suicide case

Divya Bharti was a well-known Indian actress who died on April 5, 1993, at a very young age of 19. Her death was stated accidental by falling from the balcony of her fifth-floor apartment in Mumbai. Still, there were also some rumours and speculations about her death being a suicide or even an assassination. It’s no doubt, she would have had a wonderful career ahead, but her death came as a huge shock for many of her fans. The investigation conducted by the Mumbai police concluded that her death was an accident while she was under the influence of alcohol. However, no evidence was found to support the suicide or murder theories.

5. Kushal Punjabi Suicide Case

2020 was about to start but, at that time, the Indian film and television industry was mourning on the sudden death of actor Kushal Punjabi. Having starred in Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Lakshya’, Karan Johar’s ‘Kaal’, and UTV’s ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’, Kushal Punjabi died on 26th December thus, disheartening his fans and friends. According to the police report, the actor died by suicide aged 42 and was found to suffer from depression. A suicide note reportedly left his belongings to his parents and his son. 

6. Disha Salian Suicide Case

Not much time passed after Disha Salian’s death that Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case also flooded media channels. Disha Salian was a celebrity manager who worked with several renowned actors in the Indian film industry also tragically committed suicide on June 8, 2020, at the age of 28.There was a lot of media speculation surrounding her death, with some reports claiming that she was under stress because of work pressures while others alleging that she was being harassed. However, the police could not find any evidence of foul play or harassment in her death.

7. Asif Basra Suicide Case

Indian actor Asif Basra who was even internationally renowned for his role in ‘Outsourced’ & had also acted in films including ‘Black Friday’, ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Parzania’. , was found dead in Dharamsala in Northern India on November 12 at the age of 53. The police investigation found out that this is the case of suicide. 

The police investigated the case as a suicide and found no evidence of foul play. It was reported that he was suffering from depression and had been receiving treatment for the same. Still, the exact reasons are unknown.

Conclusion

The suicides of Bollywood and TV stars in India have raised immense concerns about mental health and the pressures faced by people in the entertainment industry. The high-profile nature of these cases has diverted the media attention towards the issue of mental health and suicide prevention. It has led to a national conversation on the same. The entertainment industry can be a high-pressure and demanding field, with long working hours and high expectations, which can easily impact an individual's mental health. Therefore, each one of us needs to prioritize our mental health & share our grievances with elders as much as possible.