SC dismisses plea for independent probe into Sridevi's death

The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea seeking an independent probe into the alleged "mysterious" death of veteran Bollywood star Sridevi at a Dubai hotel on February 24 this year.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra did not accept the submission of senior advocate Vikas Singh that the Delhi High Court was wrong in dismissing the plea and holding that the authorities in Dubai have already looked into the incident.

Singh, representing Uttar Pradesh-based petitioner Sunil Singh, drew parallel with Special CBI Judge B H Loya death case.

"In Judge Loya's case, a natural death was converted into a mysterious death, while in this case a mysterious death is treated as a natural death. This was unfortunate," the senior lawyer told the bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.

"There is no way a 5 feet 7 inch person can drown in a 5 feet 1-inch bathtub. There is some mystery in it. It ought to be probed. This country wants to know as to what happened in the Dubai hotel. She was a celebrity," the lawyer said.

Pressing for a fresh probe, he claimed that the 54-year-old actor did not drink and "she was insured for an amount of Rs 250 crore with an Oman-based Insurance company" and there was a policy condition which said that the insured sum can be realised by the nominee if the insured dies in Dubai.

"No. Sorry," the bench said while dismissing the plea.

The appeal was filed by Singh challenging the Delhi High Court's March 9 order refusing to entertain his PIL for a probe into the death of veteran Bollywood actor Sridevi.

Singh, who claims to have acted in and directed a few movies and runs cinemas and visual-effect studios, had said that he was in Dubai on a family vacation from February 20 to February 26 when he came to know of Sridevi's death.

The actor had died on February 24 due to accidental drowning in her hotel bathtub.