10 Years After Her Suicide, Balika Vadhu Actor Pratyusha Banerjee's Ex-Boyfriend Acquitted

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday acquitted actor-producer Rahul Raj Singh in the 2016 suicide case of television actress Pratyusha Banerjee, giving him relief at the pre-trial stage.A bench of Justice Shivkumar Dige relied significantly on the couple's final telephonic conversation, recorded on April 1, 2016, shortly before Banerjee's death. The court observed that the transcript showed Singh trying to dissuade Banerjee from taking an extreme step. He also told her that he had turned his car around and was on his way to meet her.The conversation indicated that Banerjee was distressed and spoke about several people, including her parents, in relation to her situation.Banerjee, best known for playing Anandi in the popular television show Balika Vadhu, was found dead at her rented apartment in suburban Goregaon on April 1, 2016.Her parents had accused Singh, who was in a live-in relationship with her, of abetment to suicide, assault and mental and physical harassment.Singh, who was Banerjee's then boyfriend, was booked on charges of abetting her suicide. The Bombay High Court granted him anticipatory bail in July 2016.After the police submitted a chargesheet in 2018, Singh moved the sessions court seeking discharge from the case. His plea was rejected, following which he approached the Bombay High Court.A single bench of Justice SG Dige accepted the arguments made by senior advocate Aabad Ponda and advocate Shreyansh Mithare, who represented Singh.The lawyers argued that their client's last conversation with Banerjee showed that he had tried to convince her not to take any drastic step while he was travelling to her apartment.They submitted that no case of abetment was therefore made out against Singh.According to Singh's lawyers, the final conversation also showed Banerjee blaming several people, including her parents, in relation to her decision to take the drastic step.The lawyers also questioned the haste with which the FIR was registered against Singh in the absence of a suicide note. They argued that allowing the trial to continue would amount to an "abuse of process".The Bombay High Court allowed Singh's plea and discharged him from the case, meaning he will not face trial in connection with Banerjee's death.