'Balika Vadhu' actor Pratyusha Banerjee's boyfriend 'took all her money, gave her drugs, mentally tormented her'

boyfriend took all her money before she died of suicide; plea to cancel abetment charges rejected
Actor Rahul Raj Singh’s request to dismiss the charges against him, which accused him of driving his partner, actor Pratyusha Banerjee, to commit suicide in 2016, has been denied by a sessions court.

The court stated that witness statements strongly indicate that he had subjected her to continuous emotional torment and aimed to control her completely.

The judge highlighted that the absence of a suicide note blaming Rahul Raj Singh for Pratyusha’s death should not be considered enough to clear him of the allegations.

Even though Singh’s plea for dismissal was turned down on August 14, the full decision was released on Monday.

In the document, the judge referenced a counselor’s testimony. According to this testimony, Pratyusha had canceled an appointment with the counselor just a day prior to her alleged suicide. Earlier, she had contacted a mental health helpline, revealing her depression due to relationship problems and her need for counseling.

The judge also noted that there was clear evidence that Singh had supplied drugs to Pratyusha, knowing that she was emotionally disturbed. Witnesses also stated that he had coerced her into consuming alcohol.

Judge S J Ansari expressed that the harassment pushed her towards contemplating suicide.

“His failure to take any actions to alleviate her suffering would undoubtedly implicate him in abetting the deceased’s suicide. His behavior can be seen as intentionally contributing to and encouraging the act of suicide,” the judge commented.

The judge dismissed Singh’s claims that Pratyusha was capable of ending the relationship independently.

“This choice might be hard for an outsider to comprehend. However, the deceased had distanced herself from her family and friends to dedicate herself entirely to her relationship with Singh. Breaking ties with him could have been challenging despite the evident abuse,” the judge explained.

According to the judge, Singh exploited her romantic feelings for his own financial gain. The judge further pointed out that statements from the deceased’s family, relatives, friends, colleagues, household staff, and neighbors demonstrate that Singh gradually gained control over every aspect of her life. Her debit cards remained with him, and sometimes she had to request even small sums of money, ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000, from him.

The judge noted that there is substantial evidence indicating that Singh had suspicions about her character and had physically assaulted her. The judge also referred to marks on the deceased actor’s left wrist, as documented in the post-mortem report.

Presented by advocate Shreyansh Mithare, Singh denied the accusations in his 2018 plea to dismiss the case, asserting that he and Pratyusha were deeply in love and were planning to marry in December 2016.

The judge, aligning with the arguments put forth by public prosecutor A A Deotarse, mentioned that a neighbor testified to hearing signs of assault from their residence and witnessing Pratyusha’s tears.

The judge also considered the statements of two witnesses, asserting that they indicated Singh had restricted Pratyusha’s choice of acting projects.

“…if Singh truly wanted to protect her from financial exploitation by her parents, he would not have withdrawn nearly Rs 5-6 lakh from her accounts and transferred it to his own. This money could have been used by her to repay her loans and stabilize her life,” the judge reasoned.

The court concluded that the last conversation between Pratyusha and Singh about her parents should not be isolated from the context. The judge emphasized that her financial struggles and lack of work opportunities should not be ignored as potential factors leading to her suicide.