Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday said attempts were being made to malign his image over the June 2020 accidental death case of Disha Salian, and he will present his side before the court.

Satish Salian, father of Disha Salian, former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, on Wednesday said he has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh probe into the mysterious circumstances under which she was found dead in June 2020. The petition demanded registration of a First Information Report against Aaditya Thackeray and transfer of the probe to the CBI, he said.

The petition also claimed that his daughter was raped and murdered, and subsequently there was a politically-orchestrated cover-up to protect certain influential persons, Satish Salian told reporters.

"Attempts are being made for the last five years to malign my image. We will put forth our side in the court. We will give our replies (to the allegations) in the court," Thackeray, a former Maharashtra minister, told reporters here.

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a residential building in suburban Malad. The city police had then registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) case. Six days later, Bollywood star Rajput allegedly committed suicide in his apartment in Bandra.

 Targeting Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday, BJP minister Nitesh Rane said as per the Supreme Court's past decisions, if a person is facing allegations of rape, he must be arrested. He also demanded Thackeray's resignation as an MLA.

"We have demanded this in the House (assembly)," Rane told reporters. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, who is the leader of opposition in the legislative council, alleged that the BJP was behind the attempts to target Thackeray.

The BJP-led government was free to investigate the case, he told reporters. NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad questioned why Disha Salian's father remained silent for five years, and said it was pure politics.