Sushant Singh Rajput case: Family's lawyer questions CBI closure report, says key documents still withheld

New Delhi [India], October 24 (ANI): Nearly five years after actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report has come under renewed scrutiny from the late actor's family.
Their counsel, Advocate Varun Singh, has alleged that the agency filed an "incomplete and inconclusive" report while withholding crucial supporting documents -- effectively stalling any legal challenge to its findings.

The CBI had filed its closure report in March 2025, giving a clean chit to Rhea Chakraborty and other accused persons named in the FIR. The report stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Rajput had been confined, threatened, or subjected to any criminal act.
However, Advocate Singh told ANI that the agency's submission remains deficient, as several critical annexures and relied-upon materials have not been shared -- despite six court orders from the Patna court directing the CBI to furnish them.
"We do intend to move the court, but the major hurdle right now is that we have not been provided with the complete set of documents accompanying the closure report. Without access to the full report and annexures, it is impossible for us to file a protest petition," Singh said.
He explained that under the law, a protest petition is an independent right of the complainant to challenge a closure report, and even the magistrate has the power to continue proceedings if inconsistencies appear.
"But for that, both the complainant and the magistrate must have access to the annexed documents. At present, neither can act because those records are missing, even though more than seven months have passed since the CBI filed its report," he added.
Advocate Singh said the CBI's own language in the report shows that the findings are not definitive.
"The report states that 'the possibility of suicide cannot be ruled out.' That means the conclusion is uncertain. If the agency could not conclusively determine whether it was suicide, abetment to suicide, or homicide, should the case be closed at all? It was the CBI's duty to establish the truth conclusively," he remarked.
He also questioned the handling of financial evidence, pointing out that money transfers in favour of the accused were acknowledged in the report but not properly investigated.
"Such transactions should have been examined for cheating, criminal breach of trust, or evidence of control over the victim. Any of these could have justified further investigation instead of premature closure," Singh said.
The family's counsel further raised concerns about the withholding of forensic and digital evidence, including data examined abroad.
"What is the report they received from America on digital evidence? Why is the CBI silent?" he asked, suggesting that key materials were omitted from the case file submitted to court.
He emphasised that the absence of documentary evidence, whether relied upon or not, has undermined the transparency of the investigation.
"Once access is granted to all the documents, we can establish that the closure report was not filed in a proper manner," Singh said.
The actor's death on June 14, 2020, at his Bandra residence had triggered nationwide outrage and led to the transfer of the case to the CBI following demands from the family and massive public pressure.
Singh stated that while the FIR was registered the same year, the agency took nearly five years to file its closure report -- and yet submitted it without the necessary documents.
"There was no urgency to close the case, yet it appears to have been done in a haphazard manner. If the CBI believed the matter was ready for closure, they should have submitted the report along with all relevant records. Filing an incomplete report after five years raises serious questions about the manner in which the investigation was concluded," he said.
The Rajput family has reiterated that they will challenge the closure report once they are given access to all supporting materials.
"We have sought the documents again and again. Unless they are provided, we won't know on what basis the closure was filed," Singh said, adding that even the magistrate cannot act without reviewing them.
Asked if political pressure influenced the case, Singh said he could not confirm that but maintained that "the inconsistencies in the process are evident."
The CBI's closure report, filed almost five years after the actor's death, has revived debate about the transparency and completeness of the investigation. The family maintains that Sushant Singh Rajput's death was "not a simple, non-mysterious incident," and insists on a full review of the agency's findings.
As the matter continues in court, the Rajput family's legal team plans to move ahead with a formal challenge once the complete case file is shared by the agency. (ANI)