Media Accountability in Sushant Singh Rajput Case: Dia Mirza Demands Apology for Rhea Chakraborty

Dia Mirza Demands Media Apology for Rhea Chakraborty as CBI Clears Her in Sushant Singh Rajput Case

After almost four years of all the rumors and very keen scrutiny by the public media trials, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) finally declared that there has been no foul play in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, and family members have also been cleared from all allegations contained within the verdict. The agency found no grounds to link them to any criminal activity concerning the death of Rajput in June 2020.

Rhea and her brother had been arrested by NCB on September 8, 2020, due to being involved in a drug-related case that linked them to the now-late actor. This case threw the media into a frenzy as various conspiracy theories and allegations against Rhea began to gain traction.

Dia Mirza Calls for Media Apology

Bollywood actress Dia Mirza has come out in public support for Rhea Chakraborty after CBI closed the case and urged the media to apologize for the misinformation and character assassination that Rhea had faced.

Posting on her Instagram Stories, Mirza posted, “Who in the media will have the grace to put out a written apology to Rhea Chakraborty and her family? You went on a witch hunt. You caused deep anguish and harassment just for TRPs. Apologise. That’s the very least you can do.”

Mirza could say something that could fall into a greater vision of saying the impact of sensationalized media trials. Most of the time, personal and professional lives are influenced greatly by high-profile cases such as these.

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Shouts Rhea’s legal team on her ordeal

Rhea Chakraborty’s legal counsel, Satish Maneshinde, has spoken nothing on the issue but does reveal some of the tortures that Rhea and her family have had to endure during the investigation. He said that Rhea was granted bail after spending 27 days in jail, but there was no evidence against her.

“I salute her and her family for having kept silent and yet suffered the inhuman treatment they were meted,” stated Maneshinde. He said that Rhea’s family had sought his legal services through close friends and defense personnel from his Sainik School connections.

He also talked about the continuous haressing from social media trolls and some sections of press that fueled public outrage and baseless speculation. But lies could not suppress the fact that a resilient Rhea and her family stood strong on the way to justice.

Role of Media and Responsible Journalism

Once again, Sushant Singh Rajput’s death throws up the ethics of the media; with wild reporting and unvalidated claims being made headlines for months, Rhea Chakraborty underwent an extensive media trial.

A multitude of news channels and digital platforms charged with upping public frenzy and feeding conspiracy theories upon hollow evidence has created an atmosphere in which Rhea is vilified before any conclusion is made legally concrete.

Now that the official nose of the CBI has exonerated Rhea and her family, it is all calls for responsible journalism and accountability. Will the media then recognize their mistakes and issue the apology demanded by public figures like Dia Mirza?

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Moving Ahead: Lessons from the Case

The Sushant Singh Rajput case will remain a very important hurdle against sensationalist media and its importance in due process in legal matters. False narratives and trial by media do not only alter the lives of the concerned victims, but also create a lack of faith in the investigative agency.

As conversations continue about public responsibility in media, this case will be referenced in future conversations regarding principles of ethical journalism, fair reporting, and the need for verified facts over speculation. Whether or not the media will take responsibility and apologize is yet to be seen, but the call for justice beyond courtrooms now extends to newsrooms as well.

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