The high court on Wednesday turned down actor Vikram Chatterjee’s plea to drop his name from the chargesheet in the Sonika Singh Chauhan death case.

The actor, the only accused in the case, had pleaded with the high court to instruct the trial court to remove his name from the chargesheet.

The case would have been quashed had the court accepted the prayer.

Justice Shivakant Prasad of the high court, who turned down Vikram’s plea, gave the actor the liberty to file the same prayer before the trial court, the Alipore district and sessions judge’s court.

The high court simultaneously vacated its interim stay on the proceedings in the case in the trial court, paving the way for the Alipore district sessions judge’s court to frame charges against the accused and start the trial.

Reacting to the court order, Sonika’s father Vijay Singh Chauhan said: “We will never get our daughter back. However, today’s verdict reaffirms our faith in the criminal justice system. Right will always win over wrong. We thank all who have supported us during this painful period.”

Vikram was driving Sonika home in his Toyota Corolla Altis early on April 29, 2017, when the car crashed on Rashbehari Avenue, leaving the model dead. Sonika was seated beside Vikram.

Vikram has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, drink driving, rash and negligent driving, causing mischief and causing grievous hurt by endangering life.

If convicted, the actor can be sentenced to jail for up to 10 years.

A senior lawyer not involved in the case said the trial court’s next step would be to frame charges against the accused.

“The court is free to modify the charges mentioned in the chargesheet. If the court feels that the evidence provided by the police is inadequate, it may drop some charges. At the same time, it can add charges if it feels so. Once the charges are framed, the trial will start,” the lawyer said.

Vikram had moved the high court seeking an order to drop his name from the chargesheet when the district and sessions judge, Rabindranath Samanta, was about to frame charges against him last year.

Justice Prasad, in response to the petition, had ordered the trial court not to proceed with the case till further orders.

Once the trial starts, all witnesses will be summoned to depose in the court. Vikram, too, will have to attend the court proceedings.