Rahul Singh, the late actor Pratyusha Banerjee’s partner, “made her think about suicide,” a Mumbai judge observed while dismissing Singh’s discharge appeal for abetting the actor’s death. The court stated that “physical, emotional, and financial harassment and exploitation” by Singh resulted in the deceased’s depression. The fact that Singh did not take any steps to ameliorate her suffering plainly places him in the crosshairs of having aided the deceased’s suicide, it stated.
On April 1, 2016, Banerjee, 24, who rose to popularity as Anandi in the blockbuster TV series “Balika Vadhu,” allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her flat in the Goregoan region of Mumbai’s western suburbs.
A case was filed against Singh, a professional actor and event organiser, based on a complaint filed by her mother, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 323 (voluntarily causing harm).
The accused stated in his discharge petition, filed through counsel Shreyansh Mithare, that he was wrongly implicated in the case due to a “personal vendetta with an ulterior motive” to destroy his image.
The accused claimed he and Banerjee were much in love and planned to marry in December 2016.Singh also said that the late actor was very troubled and dissatisfied as a result of her parents’ continual intervention in her life.
On the charge of abusing Banerjee’s money, the accused said that it was the deceased’s mother who held 34 joint bank accounts with her daughter, allowing her to access her daughter’s hard-earned money at any time.
The court rejected the accused’s discharge petition, ruling that there is prima facie evidence of his involvement in the offences for which he has been charged.On November 8, the charges against Singh are expected to be filed.