The father of a Pune TikTok star opposed a plea seeking a CBI investigation into her suicide, which occurred in February 2021 when she fell from her balcony. BJP leader Chitra Wagh filed a PIL, alleging the involvement of former state minister Sanjay Rathod in the case. The family’s objection adds complexity to the ongoing legal proceedings.
Mumbai: The father of TikTok star Pooja Chavan, who allegedly died by suicide in Pune in 2021, opposed a petition filed by BJP leader Chitra Wagh, seeking further investigation into the case. Lahu Chandu Chavan, Pooja’s father, informed the Bombay High Court that he had no complaints regarding the case.
Pooja Chavan reportedly fell from the balcony of her home in February 2021 and pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. In 2021, Chitra Wagh filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the High Court, suggesting a connection between the case and former state minister Sanjay Rathod, who later resigned. Rathod is now aligned with the Eknath Shinde faction, part of the Mahayuti government.
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Wagh’s plea calls for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into Pooja Chavan’s death.
Advocate Anil Sakhre, representing Chitra Wagh, informed the court that he had submitted “certain clips” implying that “something“ happening between Pooja Chavan and an individual “holding a high office in the state.” He further suggested that Pooja may have been pregnant and abandoned, which led to her decision to end her life.
Sakhre urged the court to file an abetment charge against former minister Sanjay Rathod, claiming that there were “many murky details” emerging in the case at that time.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf, representing the state, along with Chief Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar, representing Pune Police, opposed the petition. They pointed out that the magistrate’s court had already rejected multiple requests to register an FIR in the case.
Meanwhile, advocate Pranav Badeka, representing Pooja Chavan’s father, questioned Chitra Wagh’s standing to file the petition, noting that Pooja’s father had no objections to the police’s registration of the accidental death report.
Badeka stated,
“Neither the father nor his four daughters have any grievance against the police,”
In response, the bench addressed Wagh’s lawyer, Anil Sakhre, saying,
“Where is the question of you approaching the court to register an FIR for a cognizable offence? Your case can be anything that is your desire but when the father is here before us saying there is no grievance, and while there may be many murky things being said, that does not mean the petition should not be heard.”
The court noted that there were additional intervention applications linked to Wagh’s petition, but no one appeared on behalf of those applications, leading the bench to postpone the hearing to Friday.
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During an earlier hearing, Wagh’s lawyer requested the court to dispose of the petition involving Sanjay Rathod. Rathod, who was part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in 2021, switched to the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, which formed the government with the BJP in 2022. At the time the petition was filed, Wagh’s party, the BJP, was in opposition.
After Wagh’s lawyer indicated they no longer wished to pursue the petition, the bench criticized,
“Political game being played through PIL.”
Following this, Wagh’s lawyer confirmed that they would continue pursuing the petition.