Disha Salian death: Bombay High Court orders CBI probe on father's plea

The order came after Disha's father, Satish Salian, raised suspicion about the circumstances in which she died in 2020. A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale said the CBI shall register an FIR and record his statement.

In Short

• Disha fell from 14th floor; police ruled the death as suicide
• Her father, Satish Salian, alleges rape, murder and cover-up
• HC directs CBI to register FIR and record Satish's statement

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the 2020 death of celebrity manager Disha Salian in Mumbai. Disha, then 28 and the former manager for actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building.

The order came after her father, Satish Salian, raised suspicion about the circumstances in which she died in 2020. A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale said the CBI shall register an FIR and record his statement.

The court has directed the CBI to hand the case to a suitably experienced and senior officer. It further said that nobody shall be treated as accused until a reasonable offence is made out.

If a case is not made out, Satish Salian can move an appeal, it added. The High Court directed that the investigating officer shall conduct a probe regarding all aspects surrounding the circumstances in which the petitioner's daughter lost her life.

Following the order, Satish Salian told India Today TV he was content with the court's directive, refusing to make a detailed statement.

THE DISHA SALIAN CASE

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. The police then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with the incident.

After conducting an inquiry, the police had ruled Disha's death a suicide. Her father, however, filed a petition in the High Court last year alleging that his daughter was gang-raped and murdered.

Satish Salian's advocate, Nilesh Ojha, had raised doubts about the police probe into the case.

The petitioner sought a CBI probe into his daughter's death and for an FIR to be registered against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.

Speaking to India Today TV on the Bombay High Court's order, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Shaina NC welcomed the CBI probe and said any parent having suspicions about their child's death should have the right to demand such an investigation.

In his plea, Satish claimed that Disha was found dead under mysterious circumstances in June 2020. He alleged that she was raped and murdered, and subsequently there was a politically orchestrated cover-up to protect certain influential persons.

Disha was found dead on June 8, 2020, days before Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra apartment.

- Ends
(With inputs from PTI)