'Treated like I committed HORRIBLE CRIME': Sooraj Pancholi on being in JAIL with Kasab in Jiah's SUICIDE ROW

After staying away from the limelight for several years, Sooraj Pancholi has returned to cinema with his latest release, Kesari Veer. In a recent interview, the actor revisited a deeply personal and painful period — his time in jail during the investigation into Jiah Khan’s death.

Speaking to Hindi Rush, Sooraj revealed that when he was taken into custody at the age of 21, he was lodged at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail — in the exact same high-security anda cell where terrorist Ajmal Kasab was once held. “I was sent to Arthur Road Jail, and put in the anda cell (solitary confinement). I was kept separate, all alone. I was in the same cell where they had put Kasab. They treated me like I’d done a bomb blast,” Sooraj shared.

He described the experience as emotionally overwhelming, recalling how he was not even given a mattress or pillow during his stay. “They treated me terribly, like I had committed some horrible crime. I am not even exaggerating. It was four or five years later that I understood what exactly I had been through. When it was happening, it all felt like a dream.”

They treated me terribly, like I had committed some horrible crime. I am not even exaggerating. It was four or five years later that I understood what exactly I had been through. When it was happening, it all felt like a dream.

- Sooraj Pancholi

Sooraj was arrested in 2013, shortly after the death of actress Jiah Khan, who was found in her Juhu home. A handwritten letter allegedly penned by Jiah had accused Sooraj of mental and emotional distress, which led to his arrest on charges of abetment to suicide. The case became a national media spectacle, with Sooraj largely maintaining silence.

After a decade-long trial, in April 2023, a CBI Special Court acquitted Sooraj of all charges, citing lack of evidence. The court acknowledged that no direct link could be established between Sooraj’s actions and Jiah’s death. Despite the verdict, the actor says public perception remains skewed. “A lot of people don’t even know that I was given a clean chit. Among those who do, many — celebs and regular people — came up to me and admitted they were wrong about me.”

During the interview, Sooraj also spoke about the toll those years took on his mental health and self-worth, calling it a phase that left him confused and isolated. “I hope and pray to God that nobody goes through what I have gone through at such a young age.”

Now, with Kesari Veer, Sooraj Pancholi is attempting to start afresh — personally and professionally. The film marks his return to acting and, more importantly, his attempt to move beyond the shadow of a case that dominated much of his adult life.