Almost a decade after television actor and Balika Vadhu fame Pratyusha Banerjee died by suicide, the Bombay High Court (HC) on Wednesday acquitted her former boyfriend Rahul Singh and actor-producer in the abetment to suicide case linked to her death. A single-judge bench of Justice Shivkumar Dige allowed Singh’s discharge application, marking a major turn to a case that began with Banerjee’s death in April 2016.

Notably, Singh had knocked on the HC’s doors after the Dindoshi Sessions Court junked his discharge plea in August 2023. The lower court had ruled that Banerjee had allegedly taken the drastic step in depression due to physical, emotional and financial exploitation exercised by Singh.

Details of the case

Banerjee, best known for playing Anandi in the popular daily soap opera Balika Vadhu, died by suicide at her house in Mumbai’s Goregaon West on April 1, 2016. In the aftermath of the incident, an FIR had been registered against Singh for abetting her to take the extreme step.

The Bombay HC granted him anticipatory bail on July 2, 2016. However, two years after this, the Bangur Nagar police filed a chargesheet in the case, following which Singh sought to be discharged.

In his petition filed before the Bombay HC, Singh disputed the allegations levelled against him and pressed his account of events leading up to Banerjee’s death.

Singh cites relationship troubles in petition

Singh claimed that he and Banerjee had planned to tie the knot in December 2016, but alleged that Banerjee was ‘deeply disturbed and frustrated’ by what he called ‘constant interference’ by her parents in their relationship.

He went on to allege that a dispute arose after he tried to stop Banerjee from sending money to her parents. As per him, Banerjee’s parents used her earnings to support their alleged lavish lifestyle.

Arguing for his discharge, the counsel representing Singh maintained that Banerjee was an established actress who could have ended the relationship at any time, but chose to continue living with him. On the other hand, the defence contended that this contradicted the allegations made by Banerjee’s mother.

Defence relies on final conversation

The lawyers representing Singh also reflected upon the couple’s final conversation on the day of the incident. According to the defence, the call showed Singh trying to comfort Banerjee, repeatedly telling her that he loved her and that he was on his way home.

The defence argued that the conversation was significant because it did not indicate any intention on Singh’s part to abet her suicide.

Moreover, Singh’s petition also questioned the registration of the FIR in the absence of a suicide note. His counsel argued that allowing the case to proceed to trial without sufficient evidence would result in an abuse of the legal process.