Webdesk: After ten long years, Sooraj Pancholi was found not guilty in the case of Jiah Khan. He talked about his experience with justice and how it has changed him. He told Hindustan Times in a short interview that he was there for Khan when things were bad.
When asked how he felt about the word “free,” he said, “I’m still trying to believe that I don’t have to go to court anymore. My whole 20s were spent in court. I am 32 now, was 21 when this case was put on me. I spent my entire 20s in courts. Even today in court (we talked to Pancholi the same day as the ruling), it could have been something different for other people. Since I was sitting in court every week, it all seemed the same to me. I’m still trying to figure out what it means that I’m a free man after a lot of fighting. It has required a lot of my courage and patience.”
He said this about Jiah and her depression: “When Jiah was at her worst, I was the only one there for her. Her family is now looking for justice, but what justice are they talking about? They were never there for their daughter when she really needed them. I told Jiah’s family that she was depressed, and I helped her as much as I could at the time. But I was only 20 years old.