Mumbai/New Delhi7 minutes ago
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray dismissed the allegations linked to celebrity manager Disha Salian’s death in New Delhi on Thursday. He said he had nothing to do with the case and questioned why he should respond to the allegations.
His statement came after the Bombay High Court ordered that the investigation into Disha Salian’s death be handed over to the CBI. Aaditya Thackeray is the son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Aaditya said-BJP tries to defame everyone
Aaditya Thackeray said, “I have nothing to do with this case and I have not even thought about it. Why should I respond to it? The BJP tries to defame everyone. It has tried to portray Rahul Gandhi as ‘Pappu’ for years.”
He further said, “For the past six years, attempts have been made to defame me. Whatever pricks the BJP causes it trouble. As I said, when you have nothing to do with something, why should you speak about it or give it any importance? That is my stance.”
Earlier, Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane had said that if the names of Thackeray and others linked to the case were in no way involved, they should come forward and clarify their position.
Rane said that from the beginning, he had not believed Disha Salian’s death was a suicide. He expressed confidence that the CBI investigation would bring the truth to light.
Rane says-This is a case of murder, not suicide
Nitesh Rane said, “We have been clear from day one that this is a case of murder, not suicide. Events of that nature are now coming to light. The CBI investigation will begin and an FIR will be registered.”
He said that the allegations of destroying evidence and misuse of power should also be investigated.
Rane said, “I only hope that everything that went wrong with our sister Disha Salian, and the way power was misused to erase evidence and proof, will now come to light. In the end, no matter how hard you try to hide the truth, it inevitably comes out.”
High Court Orders CBI to Register an FIR
The Bombay High Court ordered an in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding Disha Salian’s death and directed that an FIR be registered. The court also instructed the Malvani Police Station to hand over the relevant records to the CBI.
The High Court said that a person cannot be considered an accused solely on the basis of allegations made before the court. The court said, “Until the investigating officer finds sufficient grounds for reasonable suspicion against a person based on the material collected during the investigation, that person shall not be considered an accused.”
The CBI has been directed to appoint a senior officer with sufficient experience to conduct the investigation. The court also said that if the investigation does not disclose a criminal case, the CBI must file an appropriate summary report before the concerned court.
The court said, “If the investigation does not disclose any case, the CBI shall file an appropriate summary report before the concerned court.” Disha’s father, Satish Salian, will be free to challenge such a report and file objections before the court.
Family had not received the post-mortem report and ADR
The High Court had earlier expressed concern that despite Disha’s family alleging foul play, only an Accidental Death Report, or ADR, had been registered instead of an FIR. The court had also said that even several years after Disha’s death, copies of the post-mortem report and ADR had not been provided to the family.
Advocate Nilesh Ojha, appearing for Satish Salian, said that the court had directed the CBI to record his statement and appoint a senior officer to investigate the case.
The High Court described Disha’s father as a parent who had lost his young daughter under “tragic circumstances.” The court said that a thorough investigation was needed in the case, but made no adverse remarks against any of the people named in the allegations.
Thackeray had sought to intervene in the case
Aditya Thackeray had separately filed an application in the High Court seeking to join the proceedings. In his application, he described Satish Salian’s petition as “false, baseless and filed with an ulterior motive.”
Thackeray had also requested that he be given an opportunity to present his side before any order was issued.
Disha Salian was a celebrity manager. She died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a building in Mumbai. A few days after her death, actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his residence in Bandra.
