The Supreme Court on Friday refused a CBI plea to re-impose travel restrictions on actress Rhea Chakraborty, who was hounded on mainstream and social media following actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide in 2020, and rapped the central agency for its “frivolous” appeal.

It dismissed the agency’s plea against a Bombay High Court order that had quashed a lookout circular against Rhea and her family — which prevented them from leaving India — in connection with an abetment-to-suicide case filed by Sushant’s family.

The court warned that it would impose “exemplary costs” on the CBI if it persisted with its arguments.

“We are warning you: you are filing a frivolous petition,” the bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K.V. Viswanathan observed orally during a brief hearing.

“This frivolous petition is motivated solely by the fact that one of the accused is a high-profile figure. It will be dismissed with exemplary costs.”

After Sushant was found hanging in his Mumbai flat in June 2020 during the Covid pandemic, his father filed a case of abetment to suicide, cheating, breach of trust and other offences against Rhea, who was in a relationship with the actor, and her family.

Rhea quickly became the target of a hate campaign, accused by some television hosts of being a “manipulative” girlfriend who had “driven” Sushant to suicide, and abused as a gold-digger by social media trolls who threatened her with rape and murder.

Immigration authorities issued the lookout circular in August 2020 on a CBI request after the apex court had transferred the case from theMumbai crime branch to the central agency on a PIL filed by an individual.

In February this year, Mumbai High Court quashed the lookout circular — which named Rhea, her parents Indrajit and Sandhya, and brother Showik — on the ground that it violated the family’s fundamental right to lifeand liberty without any valid reason.

On Friday, the apex court castigated the CBI when a counsel appearing for the agency sought a “passover” (brief postponement) saying his senior was busy in another court.

Justice Gavai said: “If you want a passover, we will impose costs. If you want some costs (penalty) and compliments (adverse remarks), we will pass it over.”

Later, the CBI’s main counsel arrived and told the bench the agency would accept whatever order the top court passed.

The bench then dismissed the CBI appeal with Justice Gavai repeating sarcastically that if the agency chose to file a fresh appeal, it would have to face “costs and compliments”.