The father of Disha Salian, former manager of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has moved the Bombay High Court asking for a fresh probe into the cause of her death in 2020. Her father, Satish Salian has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and urged the court to transfer the case to the CBI. In his petition, Mr Salian states that Disha was “brutally raped and murdered” and alleges a political conspiracy to defend influential figures.
What brought all this back into focus was Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis’s recent order demanding an SIT probe into the case. Now that the focus has again shifted to this case, the demand for justice has again come into the frame, gaining continued momentum.
Let’s rewind and know what exactly happened in June 2020
Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in suburban Malad. The police then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) case at that time. Just six days later, actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment on June 14, 2020. The police initially termed it a case of suicide. However, the case was later transferred to the CBI for further investigation. There was a huge speculation that the two deaths were linked together under a huge conspiracy.
Now, the fresh petition is expected to add a new twist to the unresolved mystery surrounding both cases.
The plea submitted by father Satish Salian highlights that Disha was brutally raped before being murdered and the case was hushed under a carpet to protect the so-called influential individuals. “The Mumbai police hastily closed the death as a case of suicide or accidental death without taking into account forensic evidence, circumstantial proof and eyewitness testimonies,” the plea said. Satish’s advocate Nilesh Ojha has confirmed the petition is under process and will be registered with the High Court at the earliest.
Disha’s father shared his views in an exclusive interview to a news channel that in no way could his daughter’s death be a suicide as there were no injuries and blood – expected evidence for one to fall from such a height.
What all is pointed out in the plea?
Her father said that Disha organised a party on 8th June 2020 which was attended by A-listers including Aaditya Thackeray, actors Sooraj Pancholi and Dino Morea, and others. He added she was brutally gang-raped, and as per the reporting if she died of falling from such height how could there be no blood and no fracture in her body?
Even the autopsy is said to be altered under political pressure, followed by a hurried cremation and police seeking political intervention to cover up the case.
The plea also requests that it be linked to a 2023 petition by the Supreme Court and High Court Litigants Association, led by Rashid Khan Pathan. It urges the court to use Pathan’s complaint as the basis for filing a murder FIR and seeks a CBI probe into Disha Salian’s death. While the Maharashtra government formed an SIT in 2023 to investigate the case, its report is still pending.
How Politics Is Interwoven in this Case
The involvement of political faces has again added to the controversies with every party trying to point fingers at each other. According to Shiv Sena spokesperson Kishori Pednekar, there is a suspected conspiracy behind this plea being submitted after so many years of the actual case.
Rohit Pawar, a legislator and an ally of the Shiv Sena-UBT, said: “If a person has tried to seek justice for his daughter or woman, we wish they get justice. But what really happened should be known. She died four years ago. The BJP (ruling Bharatiya Janata Party) is doing politics. Politics was done on Sushant Singh Rajput in Bihar for elections. What happened to the special probe team that was formed should also be told.”
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, called this an episode to tarnish the image of youth leader Aaditya Thackery, accusing opposing leaders of exploiting the tragedy for their benefit. He pointed out the interconnection of the recent Aurangzeb issue that somehow turned into an ugly fight and alleged all this was done to overshadow that incident.
The BJP called for Aaditya Thackeray’s resignation as minister. BJP leader Nitesh Rane told PTI that Aditya should speak the truth, resign as an MLA and face the probe.
