CBI files closure report in Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Rhea, a victim of media trial?

The death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput on 14 June 2020 shook the whole country. While the sudden departure of a talented artist plunged fans into mourning, this incident gave birth to a story that was more based on sensation than truth. Rhea Chakraborty was made the alleged villain of this story. A woman who was not only cursed on social media, but TV channels also declared her guilty in advance.

Four years later, on 22 March 2025, the CBI filed its closure report and gave a clean chit to Rhea and her family. But the question is, will they be able to free themselves from the punishment of the media trial that started four years ago, in which there was less search for truth and more competition to grab headlines?

After the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, the case was initially with the Mumbai Police. But the FIR lodged by Sushant's father KK Singh in Bihar and the subsequent transfer of the investigation to the CBI made it high-profile. Rhea Chakraborty, who was Sushant's girlfriend, was charged with serious charges like abetment to suicide, drug trafficking and money laundering. The CBI began the investigation in August 2020, and in parallel, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) began probing the drugs angle. In September 2020, Rhea was arrested in the drugs case and spent 27 days in Mumbai's Byculla jail. In October 2020, the Bombay High Court granted her bail, but by then her life had been torn to shreds by the media.

In 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed the lookout circular issued against Rhea and her family, which was challenged by the CBI. In March 2025, the CBI's closure report made it clear that Rhea or her family had no role in Sushant's death. The AIIMS forensic team had also ruled out the theory of murder or foul play, and no tampering was found in the investigation of social media chats.

The atmosphere after Sushant's death was such that the whole country was glued to the television screen. In the era of the pandemic, when people were confined to their homes, TV channels considered this case a golden opportunity. Rhea Chakraborty was presented as a criminal instead of an accused, who allegedly ruined Sushant. Debates went on for hours on the channels, where anchors kept screaming and calling Rhea various adjectives. Layers of her personal life were unraveled, stories of drugs were fabricated and every picture of her was made sensational.