It was June 14, 2020, when India was under the Covid-19 lockdown and people were busy with their daily chores and all of a sudden the news of Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide started flashing on news channels.
It was utterly shocking, as nobody could believe that their beloved actor had passed away. What was even more shocking was the news of foul play in his death. A month after his death, SSR’s father filed an FIR against the actor’s girlfriend and actress, Rhea Chakraborty.
She and her brother were also arrested in the abatement of suicide in the SSR’s death case. However, both of them were released on bail a month later. It destroyed Rhea, personally and professionally, as she went out of work.
Now, after five years of Sushant’s death, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a closure report, concluding “no evidence of foul play” in Rajput’s unfortunate demise.
A complete timeline of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case
Credits: Fox Star Studios
The CBI has ruled out any foul play in the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found hanging at his Mumbai residence on June 14, 2020. Here's a timeline of all the arrests and key events in the high-profile probe.
1. June 8, 2020:Disha Salian, the talent manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, fell to death from a penthouse in Malad.
2. June 14, 2020: Sushant Singh Rajput's body was found hanging from the ceiling of his rented accommodation in upscale Bandra. A post-mortem was conducted in Cooper Hospital at Vile Parle. The initial investigation by Mumbai Police treated the incident as suicide, based on the post-mortem report, which cited asphyxia due to hanging and finds no evidence of foul play.
3. July 25, 2020: Sushant’s father lodged an FIR in Patna, accusing Rhea Chakraborty—then Sushant’s girlfriend—along with several family members of abetment to suicide financial fraud, wrongful confinement, and criminal breach of trust involving Rs. 15 crore.
4. July 28, 2020: A four-member team of Bihar police arrived in Mumbai based on an FIR registered by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father KK Singh against actress Rhea Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide. Her father, Indrajit Chakraborty, mother, Sandhya Chakraborty, and brother, Shauvik Chakraborty, were also named. According to the FIR, Rs 15 crore was transferred from Sushant's bank account to a few other bank accounts, which were not linked with the late actor in any way.
Credits: Instagram/rhea_chakraborty
5. July 29, 2020: Rhea Chakraborty filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking allowing Mumbai police to investigate.
6. July 30, 2020: It was the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra at the time. Maharashtra's then Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis demanded a probe by the CBI and ED in the case. However, then Home Minister of the state, Anil Deshmukh ruled out handing over the probe to CBI.
7. July 31, 2020: Statement of Ankita Lokhande, the ex-girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput, was recorded.
8. August 4, 2020: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to recommend the case to the CBI. Former Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane claimed both Sushant and Disha were murdered.
9. August 19, 2020: Following public pressure and political debate, the Supreme Court transfers the case to CBI.
Credits: Fox Star Studios
10. August 2020: Forensic experts from AIIMS were roped in to provide a conclusive medico-legal opinion. Their findings dismissed allegations of poisoning or strangulation, reinforcing the original suicide verdict. Agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) began parallel investigations into alleged money laundering and drug-related activities linked to the case.
11. September 8, 2020: Actress Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by the NCB, under charges of supplying marijuana to Sushant. The arrest was heavily covered by the media, amplifying the controversy. Rhea was placed in judicial custody, where she spent nearly a month before the Bombay High Court granted her bail on October 7. Her brother, Showik, also faced arrest during this period, adding to the family’s legal challenges.
Credits: Instagram/rhea_chakraborty
Rhea faced several backlashes, online trolling with people making memes about her, giving her death threats, and calling her a gold-digger. It also impacted her mental health and career.
12. Subsequent Years: The investigation saw numerous twists and turns with several Bollywood celebrities reaching the NCB office in the drug cases, rise of the talk of nepotism in Bollywood, and countless media debates. A separate case involving the death of Sushant’s former manager, Disha Salian, was also under investigation.
13. March 23, 2025: The CBI’s closure report was finally filed in a Mumbai court, signalling the end of its investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. The report concluded that no evidence was found to support claims of external involvement in his death, effectively giving a clean chit to Rhea Chakraborty and her family
Social and lead images credits: Instagram/sushantsinghrajput
