Bollywood entertainer Rhea Chakraborty has hired one of the most expensive lawyers of the country, Satish Maneshinde, to defend her in the case filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father accusing her of abetment to suicide. Earlier, Maneshinde had defended film actors like Salman Khan in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case and Sanjay Dutt in 1993 Mumbai blast case.
Petition filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty in Supreme Court seeking transfer of investigation in #SushantSinghRajput‘s death to Mumbai: Satish Maneshinde, Rhea Chakraborty’s lawyer
An FIR was filed by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father against Rhea in Bihar yesterday.
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020
She has moved the Supreme Court to transfer the investigation from Patna to Mumbai.
Who is Satish Maneshinde
Satish Maneshinde started his career as a Junior of Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, where he practiced civil and criminal law. He defended Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in 1993 Mumbai Blasts case. He was a part of the legal team defending Sanjay Dutt which included Farhana Shah and Karan Singh, grandson of Delhi-based senior lawyer Rajendra Singh. Dutt was convicted in 2006-2007 by a special court under the Arms Act for possession of AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol. He was sentenced to six years which was later upheld by the Supreme Court but the sentence was reduced to five years.
Maneshinde is also appointed as the special public prosecutor in the Palghar lynching case where two Sadhus were lynched by a mob. Viral videos of the incident showed the police standing as mute spectator while the mob lynched the two sadhus.
On 14th June 2020, 34-year-old actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment. While initially it was suggested that he committed suicide, later reports emerged which cast aspersions on the cause of death. On Tuesday, KK Singh, Sushant’s father filed an FIR in Patna alleging that Rhea, his girlfriend, abetted his suicide. The FIR states that she took Rs 15 crores, laptops, jewellery and left Sushant, driving him over the edge. Her so-called suspicious involvement with veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and the alleged influence he commands over her has also fuelled speculations about the whole affair.