Bombay High Court orders CBI FIR in Disha Salian death case

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the CBI to register an FIR and take over investigation into the 2020 death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, ending a six-year fight by her father to have the case reopened. A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale ordered that a senior CBI officer be assigned to the probe and that Malvani police hand over all case records to the agency. (ANI/PTI)

Salian, former manager to actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was found dead after falling from the 14th floor of a building in suburban Malad on June 8, 2020, days before Rajput's own death in his Bandra flat. Mumbai Police had treated her death as an Accidental Death Report case and told the court, through chief public prosecutor Shishir Hiray, that evidence pointed to suicide or an accidental fall, with no grounds to prosecute anyone.

Her father, Satish Salian, had petitioned the court alleging she was sexually assaulted and murdered, and questioned why police never registered an FIR despite the allegations. His counsel, advocate Nilesh Ojha, also questioned the post-mortem findings and asked why no case was filed against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray and others named by Salian in his complaint. Senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola, appearing for Thackeray, opposed the plea, arguing the proceedings were politically motivated.

The bench clarified no one should be treated as an accused or detained unless the investigating officer finds sufficient material against them, and directed the CBI to file a summary report if no criminality is established, or a chargesheet if a cognisable offence is made out.