Bombay HC discharges Rahul Raj Singh in Pratyusha Banerjee suicide case

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (30 September) discharged actor-producer Rahul Raj Singh, accused of abetting the suicide of television actor Pratyusha Banerjee in 2016. Justice Shivkumar G Dige relied on the couple's final recorded telephone conversation, which showed Singh trying to dissuade Banerjee from taking any drastic step, The Times of India, NDTV, India TV, Times Now, News9, Hindustan Times and Lawbeat report. Singh's lawyers argued that the FIR was filed in haste without a suicide note and that allowing a trial would be an abuse of process.

Banerjee, best known for playing Anandi in the serial Balika Vadhu, died by suicide on 1 April 2016 at her Mumbai flat. Her parents alleged physical, mental and financial harassment, leading to an FIR under sections 306, 323 and 506 of the IPC. The Dindoshi sessions court had rejected Singh's discharge plea in August 2023, after police filed a chargesheet in 2018. Singh, who was granted anticipatory bail in July 2016, then challenged the order in the high court.

Update, 3 October 2026: Lawbeat reports the Bombay High Court's detailed legal reasoning, noting that Justice Dige found no case for abetment and that the defence argued the sessions judge erred. Lawbeat also cites legal experts on the standard for abetment, quoting veteran counsel Shrikant Bhat that evidence must show active instigation. The other new sources confirm the discharge but add no fresh facts.