Sooraj Pancholi distributes sweets after acquittal, says Jiah Khan suicide verdict took ’10 painful years’

Responding to the special CBI court verdict that acquitted him in the 2013 Jiah Khan death case on Friday, actor Sooraj Pancholi has said that it is not just the case that he won, but he has won back his “dignity and courage”. (Also read| But how did my child die’: Jiah Khan’s mother reacts to judgement)

Hours after the verdict was delivered, Sooraj issued a statement and said, “The verdict has taken 10 long painful years and sleepless nights, But today I have not only won this case against me but I have also won my dignity and confidence back, it took a lot of courage to face the world with such heinous allegations.”

It further said, “I hope and pray to God that nobody goes through what I have gone through at such a young age, I don’t know who will give me these 10 years of my life back to me, but I am glad that this has finally come to an end not only for me but especially for my family. There is nothing bigger than peace in this world.”

Sooraj was the main accused in the Jiah Khan death case. His mother actor Zarina Wahab accompanied her to the court where he was held not guilty of the charges, citing a “paucity of evidence” against him.

Sooraj, son of Aditya Pancholi and Zarina, made his Bollywood debut in 2015 with Hero alongside Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty. The film was backed by Salman Khan and Subhash Ghai. He has since featured in movies such as Satellite Shankar and Time to Dance. His films have neither impressed critics, nor the box office.

In an earlier interview with PTI in 2015, Sooraj had said, “My name will always be associated with her and I have no guilt for that. I am happy that something at least stays with me. I am sad that she ended her life. But at least her name is with me and I have no problems with it.”