Sooraj Pancholi with folded hands inside the premises of the Siddhivanayak Temple.
Sooraj Pancholi visited the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai a day after his acquittal by the CBI court.
Earlier this week on Friday, a special CBI tribunal acquitted actor Sooraj Pancholi on charges of abetting the suicide of his girlfriend and then actor Jiah Khan, citing “lack of evidence”. On June 3, 2013, Jiah was found dead at her home in Juhu, Mumbai. She was 25 years old. Based on a letter seized a week later, allegedly written by her, Mumbai police booked Sooraj under Section 306 (incitement to suicide) and arrested him. He was later released on bail. After the acquittal, Sooraj Pancholi told a portal that he would go to the Siddhivanayak Temple to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings. Now News18 has accessed a video which shows Sooraj from inside the temple premises.
The clip shows Sooraj Pancholi standing in front of the Ganesha idol with his hands clasped as the priest drapes him in a blanket. The actor also bowed his head to show his respect and dedication. Later, the priest was seen applying teeka to Sooraj Pancholi’s forehand. Check out the exclusive video here:
In another video captured by paparazzi, Sooraj Pancholi was seen arriving at the temple in his car amid police security. It also showed him leaving the scene, but not before interacting with some people and posing for the camera. He also carried souvenirs of the temple in his hands.
The actor, who was cleared of aiding and abetting suicide charges on Friday by a special CBI tribunal, said the verdict took 10 “painful years and sleepless nights”. Sooraj added that he hopes no one else goes through something like this, while wondering “who will give me back these 10 years of my life”.
“The verdict took 10 long painful years and sleepless nights, but today I not only won this case against me, but I also regained my dignity and my confidence, it took a lot of courage to face the world with such heinous allegations, I hope and pray to God that no one goes through what I went through at such a young age, I don’t know who will give me back those 10 years of my life, but I’m glad it has finally come to an end not only for me but especially for my family. There is nothing greater than peace in this world,” he said.
Bollywood actress Jiah Khan was found dead at her home in Juhu on June 3, 2013. A six-page suicide note allegedly written by her was found. The letter recounted her “intimate relationship, physical abuse and mental and physical torture” allegedly at the hands of Sooraj who left her to make the decision.
It was stated that she was cheated and abused by him and he even raped her, as a result of which she had to have an abortion. He was even arrested but was later released on bail. After his release on bail, Jiah’s mother moved to the Bombay High Court and requested the transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Central Investigation Agency then filed an indictment in December 2015 in which it charged Sooraj with inciting suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.
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