The Mumbai Police informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that there was no evidence of foul play in the death of Disha Salian, who was the manager of Sushant Singh Rajput.
Disha Salian reportedly died by suicide on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a building in Mumbai’s Malad area.
Just six days later, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his home. The police closed the investigation in 2021, stating that no signs of foul play were discovered in her case.
However, in March, Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, approached the Bombay High Court requesting a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into her death and the registration of an FIR against Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray, according to PTI.
Alleging that his daughter’s death was suspicious, Satish claimed in his petition that she was gang-raped and murdered. He further alleged that a politically motivated cover-up had taken place to protect influential individuals. Initially trusting the investigation, Satish later came to believe it was part of a larger effort to suppress the truth, The Indian Express reported.
The petition was heard on Wednesday by a bench led by Justice AS Gadkari, according to PTI.In response, an officer from Malvani police station submitted an affidavit requesting the dismissal of the plea, stating that a closure report had already been filed following their initial investigation. The affidavit also noted that the findings of the Special Investigation Team — formed by the Maharashtra government in 2023 to re-examine the case — aligned with the original conclusions drawn by the Malvani Police, as reported by The Indian Express.
Satish Salian also alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was probing claims of gangrape and murder without first registering a formal FIR, which he described as a serious legal violation. The Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear the case next on July 16.
Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray has submitted an intervention application requesting to be heard in the case, asserting that the petitioner’s claims were “false, baseless, and founded on hearsay,” according to The Indian Express.
As reported by PTI, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader declined to comment on the police affidavit dismissing the possibility of foul play, stating that he had deliberately maintained silence despite repeated attempts to malign his image.
Back in December 2022, Disha Salian’s death was brought up in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by BJP legislators and members of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. At the time, Devendra Fadnavis—then serving as Deputy Chief Minister—had announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team to look into the matter.
(Also read: SSR’s Manager Disha Salian’s Death Was Accidental – Says CBI)
