Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, has sent a ₹500 crore defamation notice to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.
The notice demands that both leaders withdraw their alleged statements, issue a public apology and pay ₹500 crore in damages. They have been given seven days to do so.
Disha Salian was late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s manager.
According to Bar & Bench, the notice asks both leaders to withdraw their statements, issue a public apology, and pay ₹500 crore in damages. They have been given seven days to comply. After his name surfaced in the investigation, Aaditya Thackeray had described it as politically motivated. Anil Deshmukh, meanwhile, said Thackeray was being targeted and defamed.
Disha Salian’s father said such statements misrepresented his demand for a fair and impartial investigation into his daughter’s death.
Disha died on 8 June 2020
Disha allegedly died after falling from the 14th floor of a building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Six days later, on 14 June 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra.
The initial investigation into Disha’s death was closed within around three months. However, after various claims emerged on social media, the case was reopened in 2023, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed. The investigation has been ongoing since then.
What did Aditya Thackeray say on the allegations?
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray on Wednesday claimed on 16 September that he never knew or met late Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. He also alleged that some people were deliberately trying to link his name to the case to defame him for political gains.
Aditya’s statement comes days after the CBI filed an FIR in the Disha Salian death case in 2020. The FIR does not name any accused.
The police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and later, after investigation, claimed that it was a case of suicide.
23 March 2025: Anil Deshmukh called it a conspiracy
Anil Deshmukh had described the Disha Salian case as a conspiracy to defame Aaditya Thackeray.
CBI recently filed an FIR in Disha Salian death case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently registered an FIR in the case concerning the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s former manager, Disha Salian, on 14 September. The Bombay High Court had directed the CBI to investigate the case following a petition filed by Disha’s father.
The court had raised serious questions over the Mumbai Police’s investigation, stating that the failure to register an FIR for six years and treating the case merely as an accident raised several questions.
Aaditya Thackeray, Rhea Chakraborty also named in FIR
The case mentions Aaditya Thackeray and Rhea Chakraborty among several people whose roles require investigation. The agency has clarified that those named in the FIR are not being treated as accused at this stage, and their roles will be examined during the investigation.
CBI directed to record father Satish Salian’s statement and register FIR, says lawyer
On representing Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, Advocate Nilesh Ojha says, “The Court has directed the CBI to record the statement of Satish Salian, register an FIR, appoint a senior officer to conduct the investigation, and the Malvani Police Station to hand over all records to the CBI. Furthermore, action will be taken against anyone against whom evidence is found.”
Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian.
“No one will be named as an accused if there is no evidence against them. Additionally, if the CBI submits a negative report, we have the right to raise objections and file a protest petition. The court stated this explicitly in its order. I thank the court,” he added further.
Earlier, her father stated-
‘I never met Disha Salian’: Sooraj Pancholi
Actor Sooraj Pancholi has clarified his position after his name was linked to the death of Disha Salian, who worked as actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s manager.
In a lengthy statement shared on Instagram, Sooraj said that he had never met Disha Salian or Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, either directly or indirectly.
Sooraj says it is wrong to drag his name into the case
Calling it wrong to link his name to Disha’s death, Sooraj said that the police and CBI had already recorded his statement around four to five years ago.
Father had suspected Disha’s fiancé Rohan’s statement
Disha Salian was set to marry model and actor Rohan Rai after a seven-year relationship. Notably, she died on 8 June 2020. Shortly after, a video surfaced, claimed to be from an hour before her death, showing Disha dancing with friends, including Rohan. She shared the video in a WhatsApp group at 11:48 PM. Around an hour later, her body was found.
Two years later, Rohan had spoken out, saying they had been living with family in Dadar. On 4 June, he had suggested they move to the Malad flat, joined by four friends. While he was on a call, Disha went into the bedroom.
She didn’t return for quite a while, so we went to check on her. I saw that the room’s window was open. Looking down, her clothes were visible on the ground. It was all like a bad dream.
However, Satish had stated that he had doubts about Rohan Rai’s statements. He said, ‘Given the kind of revelations that have come out, Rohan’s words don’t seem true. He is lying.
Now, as per the new order, the CBI investigation is being done to examine the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death and assess the evidence available in the case.
