The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered a CBI investigation into the death of Disha Salian, former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Disha was Sushant Singh Rajpoot’s ex-manager.
Disha died from alleged 14th floor fall in 2020
Salian died after allegedly falling from the 14th floor of a high-rise building in Mumbai’s suburban Malad. Her death had taken place under mysterious circumstances and had led to questions over the circumstances surrounding her fall.
While ordering the CBI probe, the High Court also clarified how to treat individuals who may come under investigation.
The court said that no person should be treated as an accused unless the investigating officer (IO) finds sufficient material against them.
This means that merely coming under the scanner of the investigation would not make anyone an accused. Any such decision would have to be based on material gathered during the probe.
CBI directed to record father Satish Salian’s statement and register FIR, says lawyer
Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian.
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.”
“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-
Disha Salian case’s timeline till March 2025
Disha Salian case: Key developments last year
- June 2020: Disha Salian died after falling from the 14th floor of a building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Police had treated the case as suicide.
- 2025: A fresh petition filed in the Bombay High Court alleged that Disha had been gang-raped and murdered and sought a CBI probe.
- Police affidavit: Malvani Police maintained that Disha had died by suicide and said the investigation had found no evidence of foul play or conspiracy.
- Police findings: The affidavit cited mental stress, family and professional problems, and intoxication as factors. Her fiancé, who was present at the flat, had not raised any suspicion.
- Postmortem report: Police said the medical examination had found no signs of physical or sexual assault.
- Father’s allegations: Police described the allegations made by Disha’s father, Satish Salian, as baseless and said the closure report had been based on scientific investigation and medical evidence.
- SIT probe: A Special Investigation Team had later re-examined the case, with its findings reportedly supporting the original conclusion of suicide.
- Aaditya Thackeray’s response: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray had approached the Bombay High Court, calling the allegations against him “false, baseless and malicious” and seeking to be heard before any order was passed.
- Nitesh Rane’s allegations: BJP leader and minister Nitesh Rane had alleged that Disha was gang-raped and murdered, demanded a CBI probe, and repeatedly raised questions about Aaditya Thackeray’s alleged connection to the case.
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 new order, the CBI investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death and assess the evidence available in the case.
