Sooraj Pancholi’s First Interview After The  Acquittal

How does it feel on the morning after the acquittal?

Today I’ve woken up  feeling like  an entirely new person.I’ve woken up feeling not only relieved, but  feeling peaceful, which for me is bigger than  anything  in my life.

I can’t even  begin to  understand what you have gone through?

Only I know how I’ve tried to stay calm and  composed. To get out of my house  and face the world …looking people into the eyes. I always though they were judging me constantly.

They probably were, except maybe those  close to you?

Yes,I am proud of myself for holding on to my faith in the truth. I continued  to fight this on real merit and  didn’t battle it by talking rubbish in the media like some others in this case.

Do you see  today as a  rebirth?

For sure, this is the  beginning of my life. I am confident that only good things will come to me  now. I am happy that my family is  finally at peace.

They must have  gone through hell  along with you?

I am sorry  for  the  trouble I have caused  them.I am sorry I caused them so  much pain.To see one’s parents suffer this  way is not something anyone would want.

Looking back, do you  regret anything?

What happened  to Jiah was really unfortunate. But it  was beyond  my control. She  did not  need  me as much as she  needed her family. She  needed  the love and support of her own immediate family, not her  boyfriend. I hardly knew  her for five months. I did  the  best that I could for that short period.

You ordeal  is over now?

Yes  the honourable court’s order is out.Every single charge  against me has been proven wrong.All  their witnesses have been discredited .Every single one of  them. The  honourable court has used the legal term ‘lack of evidence’ while acquitting me.

That must be  very reassuring after what you have been through?

There  was not only lack of evidence against me.There was zero evidence. This  was a circus created by some  people  for their own entertainment. And it is sad that  this lie took away ten  years of my life. Even the letter(the alleged suicide note) for which I was arrested (ten years ago) …it has been proven  after  ten  years in the honourable court that it wasn’t written  by Jiah. The handwriting matches with Jiah’s mother’s diary  not Jiah’s diary.

It is shocking to hear this?

Yes, this  is  the sad truth. But now I will try to leave all this behind and move on.  It’s time for  me give back to my family the  time I took away from them. It’s time  to stand up and take care  of my parents and my sister, do good things in life.I plan to settle down in life. A lot needs to be planned. I never  made any plans all these years.

Because life is so  unpredictable?

Because my life was  the most unpredictable. The course of the law cannot be predicted. So yeah, now is my rebirth.Thank you for being there for me.