Final Verdict?

Four years after the tragic demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a closure report, concluding that the actor died by suicide and that no foul play was involved. The agency has also absolved his former girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, of any wrongdoing, dismissing allegations made by Rajput’s family. With the submission of this report, a case that once gripped the nation in speculation and conspiracy theories is nearing its legal end. Or is it?

The CBI’s conclusion does little to quieten the storm of unresolved questions. It certainly does not satisfy those who have long insisted that Rajput’s death and that of his manager, Disha Salian, just days apart were more than mere coincidences. Indeed, the timing of these two deaths, the inconsistent narratives surrounding them and the political undertones that have clouded the case all contribute to an enduring sense that there is more to the story than the official account suggests.

The official version, backed by forensic reports from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), rules out murder or poisoning. But it is this very conclusiveness that fuels the scepticism of Rajput’s family and supporters. Sushant’s cousin remains adamant that the previous MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray ‘deliberately’ sought to suppress the truth. He and others point to unanswered anomalies in Salian’s case as well. If, as authorities maintain, she jumped from the 14th floor of a building, why was there no visible blood at the scene? The lack of clarity has allowed conjecture to fester, and as long as there are lingering doubts, the demand for reinvestigation will persist.

Even Disha Salian’s father, who had previously sought to move on, has now called for a reopening of the case, filing a legal petition linking Aaditya Thackeray, the former chief minister’s son, to both deaths. Whether such claims hold water is a different matter altogether, but they highlight the political crosscurrents that have shaped public perception of the case.

At the height of the controversy, the Rajput case had become a political battlefield. The Bihar Police, acting on a complaint from Rajput’s father, launched its own investigation, challenging the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Police. The involvement of the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) only added to the spectacle. Yet, after four years of high-profile interrogations and public outrage, no substantial evidence of foul play has emerged. The very agencies that were once pressured to investigate may have been equally pressured to close the matter. It is hardly surprising that critics view the closure report as a convenient resolution rather than a definitive truth.

Rajput’s death resonated far beyond Bollywood. It tapped into India’s cultural anxieties, about mental health, nepotism in the film industry and the role of law enforcement. In the end, none of these issues were meaningfully addressed while the case was reduced to a political talking point.

If the court accepts the closure report on April 8, the legal chapter of this saga may finally be over. But until every contradiction is convincingly addressed, suspicion will continue to linger.