Today has been a great relief for the entire Pancholi family members as almost a decade after actor Jiah Khan’s death by suicide, a special CBI court in Mumbai today acquitted her boyfriend and film star Sooraj Pancholi of abetment charges.

Timeline of events in Jiah Khan Suicide Case

Following is the timeline of Jiah Khan’s Suicide case, in which actor Sooraj Pancholi faced an abetment charge.

June 3, 2013- Jiah Khan was found hanging in the bedroom of her residence in Juhu by her mother Rabia Khan.

June 10, 2013- Sooraj Pancholi was arrested by police on the basis of a six-page letter purportedly written by Jiah Khan on their relationship getting sour.

July 1, 2013- Sooraj Pancholi was granted bail by the Bombay High Court.

July 2, 2013- Sooraj Pancholi walks out of jail.

July 3, 2014- Bombay High Court transfers probe in the case to CBI on a plea filed by Jiah’s mother Rabia Khan, claiming that the police were not investigating the case properly. Rabia Khan claims that her daughter was killed and not died by suicide.

December 9, 2015- CBI files its chargesheet in the case saying it was a case of suicide and not homicide. Charges Sooraj Pancholi under section 306 of IPC for abetment of suicide.

February 2016- Rabia Khan petitions the High Court against the CBI chargesheet and reiterates that her daughter was killed. Rabia sought for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be set up under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to probe the case as Jiah was a US citizen.

February 25, 2016– HC stays the trial in the case pending the hearing of Rabia Khan’s petition.

December 2016- Sooraj Pancholi files an application in HC seeking for the stay on the trial to be vacated saying he has every right to face a “free, fair and expeditious trial”.

February 1, 2017- HC reserves its order on Rabia Khan’s petition.

February 9, 2017- HC dismisses Rabia Khan’s petition and vacates stay on the trial against Sooraj Pancholi.

January 30, 2018- A special court frames charges against Sooraj Pancholi.

February 14, 2019- Trial in the case begins.

August 2022- Rabia Khan deposes as a witness in the case and reiterates that the CBI has not submitted any evidence to prove that her daughter Jiah Khan had committed suicide. Rabia files another petition in HC seeking a fresh probe in the case.

September 12, 2022- HC dismisses Rabia Khan’s petition saying CBI has carried out a fair, impartial and thorough probe but Rabia Khan was trying to procrastinate and delay the trial by insisting that it was homicide and not suicide.

April 20, 2023- Trial concludes, special CBI court reserves its judgment in the case.

April 28, 2023 – Special CBI court acquits Sooraj Pancholi.

During the questioning in April 2023, the court recorded Sooraj’s statement as he answered 558 questions based on the case. Sooraj insisted that he was falsely implicated in the case, and claimed that Jiah’s sister gave a false statement stating that he used to abuse her during their relationship. When he was asked if he had a good relationship with Jiah in the beginning, the actor said, “My relationship with Nafisa (Jiah’s real name) was good throughout.”