Mumbai:- Nearly five years after the mysterious death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, her father, Satish Salian, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In a dramatic escalation of the long-dormant case, Satish has alleged that his daughter was raped and murdered, and that her death was staged as a suicide to protect powerful individuals.
Disha, who formerly managed actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was found dead after reportedly falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad on June 8, 2020—just six days before Rajput was also found dead in his Bandra apartment. While police initially termed Disha’s death accidental, followed by the SIT closing the case citing lack of foul play, Satish Salian now claims critical evidence was either ignored or deliberately suppressed.
In his petition, Satish accuses prominent figures, including Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, actor Sooraj Pancholi, and former senior police officers Parambir Singh and Sachin Vaze, of involvement in an alleged political cover-up. He is demanding that the court direct the Mumbai Police to register an FIR under sections related to gang rape, murder, destruction of evidence, and criminal conspiracy.
The petition outlines several explosive claims:
•Tampering and Disappearance of CCTV footage from the building on the night of the incident.
•Manipulation of visitor logs and inconsistencies in the timeline of events.
•Suspicious delays and gaps in the post-mortem process, raising doubts over the declared cause of death.
•Deliberate misdirection in the police investigation, allegedly due to political pressure.
This renewed push comes amid heightened political tensions. BJP MLA Nitesh Rane publicly supported the petition, calling it “a fight for justice” and demanding Aaditya Thackeray step down from public office until the probe is completed. “Why are they so afraid of the truth?” Rane asked at a recent press briefing. “A young girl lost her life, and those in power seem more interested in protecting names than revealing facts.”
Shiv Sena leaders have hit back, accusing the petitioners of political opportunism. Party spokesperson Kishori Pednekar questioned the timing: “Why wait nearly five years to file such a petition? This is nothing but a character assassination attempt aimed at the Thackeray family.”
Nevertheless, the Bombay High Court has taken cognizance of the petition and has asked for a preliminary review to determine whether grounds exist for a new probe and if an FIR should be registered against the accused.
If the court orders the reopening of the case and a CBI inquiry, it could reignite public scrutiny into not just Disha Salian’s death, but the broader narrative that entwines it with the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput—a case that had already exposed rifts between public trust, media sensationalism, and institutional accountability.
The court is expected to hear detailed arguments in the coming weeks. For now, one of Maharashtra’s most polarizing and unresolved cases is back under the spotlight, stirring renewed calls for justice and transparency in a system long accused of silence in the face of influence.
