# The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty
**The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty?** is an Indian Hindi-language thriller web series released as a ZEE5 Original on 31 December 2019, built around the murder of Shiraz Malik, a fictional national table tennis champion, and the investigation that follows.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) The eight-episode first season follows a [Central Bureau of Investigation](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-bureau-of-investigation) (CBI) officer, Vidur Mehra, as he works what looks like an open-and-shut case that keeps producing new twists and exposing the suspects' secrets.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform and format | ZEE5 Original web series, one season of 8 episodes, thriller genre[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) |
| Release | 31 December 2019, with episodes dated 1 January 2020[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) |
| Languages | Audio in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu; English subtitles[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) |
| Director | Shashant Shah[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) |
| Lead cast | Sikandar Kher (Vidur Mehra), Shiv Panditt (Shiraz Malik), Tridha Chaudhury (Antara Malik), Arunoday Singh (Ranveer Pratap Singh), Hrishita Bhatt (Chitrangadha Singh)[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) |
| Episode length | Roughly 30 to 42 minutes per episode[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty) |
| IMDb rating | 6.8/10 from about 3,100 user ratings[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11535184/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The series opens with the death of India's table tennis champion, Shiraz Malik, killed in broad daylight, a crime that shocks the nation; the CBI is asked to take charge of the case with Vidur as its lead.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) Vidur and his team begin the investigation in the second episode, and the case soon draws in Aabha Abhyankar, appointed to represent the CBI, and Laxman Chotrani as the defense lawyer.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208)
The courtroom material drives the middle of the season. A diary belonging to Antara Malik, Shiraz's wife, is presented in court, and a secret extra-marital affair between Ranveer Pratap Singh and Antara surfaces, turning the case into what one review described as a tale of lust and betrayal with new layers unfolding as the episodes proceed.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) • [4](https://santabanta.com/cinema/bollywood/movie-review/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-review-an-intriguing-tale-of-lust-and-betrayal-135484/) Later episodes bring Ranveer's wife Chitrangadha forward as a witness whose statement can go against him, and a state approver who can turn the case around; the finale, "Judgement Day", presents the closing statements of both sides and asks whether the killing was a cold-blooded murder or a political conspiracy.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208)
The eight episodes, in order, are "The Death of a Star", "The Blood Trail", "Who Really Killed Shiraz Malik?", "The Unusual Suspect", "The Diary of Antara Malik", "An Affair to Remember", "The Wife's Truth", and "Judgement Day".[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208)
## Production
Director Shashant Shah has described how the project reached him: Priyanka Ghatak narrated the story at the office of producer Ashoke Pandit, and Shah interrupted the narration to tell the rest of the story himself, having worked on the same material for almost two years; his wife Aarati had researched and written material around it.[5](https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/a-filmmaker-should-be-fearless-believes-chacha-vidhayak-hain-humare-director-shashant-shah) The title originally carried the tagline "The Shuttlecock Murder", a reference to the victim's sport, before being changed to *The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty*.[6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/the-chargesheet-review-murder-mystery-gone-awry/)
A casting note: the aggregator Digit Binge credits Ravit Kumar Tyagi as director,[7](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/shows/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-736903.html) while ZEE5's own page and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) both credit Shashant Shah.[1](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty)
## Reception
The IMDb weighted rating stands at 6.8/10 from about 3,100 votes, with per-episode scores ranging from 5.8 for episode 6 to 7.1 for the finale.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11535184/ratings/) [Professional](https://www.edgepedia.org/professional) reviews were divided. The [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) review of January 2020 was negative, calling the show an open-ended murder mystery in which logic fails and the talent of the cast is wasted.[8](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-review-this-arunoday-singh-show-only-kills-time/story-Fal3vkVIZRMpku57XBYm8H.html/1000) The Envoy Web's review was titled "Murder mystery gone awry" and judged that the series failed to live up to its initial hype.[6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/the-chargesheet-review-murder-mystery-gone-awry/) SantaBanta, by contrast, called it a simple yet engaging mystery-crime-thriller that evokes the 1980s era with flawed characters.[4](https://santabanta.com/cinema/bollywood/movie-review/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-review-an-intriguing-tale-of-lust-and-betrayal-135484/) Planet Bollywood's review called it a stunning dramatic thriller with a core theme of love, sex, and deception.[9](https://planetbollywood.com/wp/reviews/series/exclusive-review-the-chargesheet-a-stunning-dramatic-thriller-with-core-theme-of-love-sex-aur-dhokha/)
## Availability
The series streams on ZEE5 and VI movies and tv, including free-with-ads options, in India; JustWatch reported no streaming options in the United Kingdom.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty) • [10](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty) It is also carried through ZEE5 on Airtel Xstream Play and Tata Play Binge.[11](https://www.airtelxstream.in/tv-shows/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/ZEEFIVE_TVSHOW_0-6-2208)
## References
1. [The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty? – ZEE5 official page](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/0-6-2208)
2. [The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty? – JustWatch (India)](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty)
3. [The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty? (2020) – IMDb Ratings](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11535184/ratings/)
4. [The Chargesheet Innocent or Guilty review – SantaBanta](https://santabanta.com/cinema/bollywood/movie-review/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-review-an-intriguing-tale-of-lust-and-betrayal-135484/)
5. [A filmmaker should be fearless, believes Shashant Shah – Free Press Journal](https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/a-filmmaker-should-be-fearless-believes-chacha-vidhayak-hain-humare-director-shashant-shah)
6. [The Chargesheet review: Murder mystery gone awry – The Envoy Web](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/the-chargesheet-review-murder-mystery-gone-awry/)
7. [The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty? – Digit Binge](https://www.digit.in/digit-binge/shows/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-736903.html)
8. [The Chargesheet Innocent or Guilty review – Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty-review-this-arunoday-singh-show-only-kills-time/story-Fal3vkVIZRMpku57XBYm8H.html/1000)
9. [Exclusive review – The Chargesheet – Planet Bollywood](https://planetbollywood.com/wp/reviews/series/exclusive-review-the-chargesheet-a-stunning-dramatic-thriller-with-core-theme-of-love-sex-aur-dhokha/)
10. [The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty? – JustWatch (UK)](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty)
11. [The Chargesheet: Innocent or Guilty? – Airtel Xstream Play](https://www.airtelxstream.in/tv-shows/the-chargesheet-innocent-or-guilty/ZEEFIVE_TVSHOW_0-6-2208)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license