CBI registers FIR in Disha Salian case
The new FIR follows a Bombay HC order that questioned the six-year police inquiry into the victim’s death
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Monday in the June 2020 death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, listing Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, actors Dino Morea and Rhea Chakraborty among those whose roles require investigation.
The FIR was lodged after Disha’s father Satish Salian gave his statement to the CBI on Friday, naming actor Sooraj Pancholi, Aaditya Thackeray’s bodyguards, Rhea Chakraborty’s brother Showik Chakraborty, Rohan Roy, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, former home minister Anil Deshmukh, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, former officer Sachin Vaze, DCP Vishal Thakur, officers from Malwani police station and the special investigation team, doctors involved in the delayed post-mortem, forensic science lab staff, and others.
The FIR follows a 44-page order from the Bombay High Court, delivered on September 2 by Justices Sarang V Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale.
The HC found that the Mumbai Police’s six-year inquiry under Section 174 of the CrPC was not legally sufficient. The judges explained that this section is meant to quickly determine the cause of death to prevent loss of evidence, not to last for years in two stages.
“The investigation carried out by the police raises more questions than it answers,” the judgement notes. The police had enough time to file an FIR and investigate a cognizable offence under Sections 154 to 173 of the CrPC but did not take those steps, it added.
The HC pointed out several “glaring discrepancies” and “suspicious circumstances.” These included a spot panchnama done more than nine hours after police arrived; CCTV footage showing officers at the scene before the Accidental Death Report (ADR) was filed at 3.07 am; the ADR mentioning parental statements of no suspicion even though Satish Salian reached the hospital around 4 am; no blood-stained earth found despite witnesses saying there was bleeding from the head; an injury pattern the court found “difficult to accept” for a face-first fall from the 12th floor, among others.
The judges emphasised that they mentioned these points only to decide if an FIR and a full investigation were needed. They did not find that murder or rape had been proven and said they had “not made any observations against any particular individual.” They also noted that medical questions would need expert review. The court gave clear instructions for Malwani police to hand over all records immediately.
The CBI Joint Director in Mumbai must choose a senior and experienced officer to lead the investigation. This officer must record Satish Salian’s statement, file an FIR, and look into every detail of the death with complete independence. “Nobody shall be treated as an accused unless, in the opinion of the Investigating Officer, there are sufficient grounds to raise reasonable suspicion against him, depending on the material collected during the investigation.
If the CBI finds evidence of a cognizable offence, it must file a chargesheet as soon as possible. If not, the CBI should submit a closure or summary report to the appropriate court, and the father can file a protest petition. The High Court chose not to oversee the CBI investigation, saying it had no reason to question the agency’s fairness.
The High Court has now ordered a new, independent review of the forensic and investigative records, which it found incomplete. The CBI investigation will check these records against the legal standard the court set on September 2, 2026.
