The Disha Salian death case has taken a dramatic new turn, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registering an FIR nearly six years after the celebrity manager died in Mumbai. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has been named in the FIR, along with several others, bringing renewed political and public attention to a case that has remained shrouded in controversy.
Salian, who had worked as the manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who himself committed suicide shortly afterwards, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Mumbai Police had investigated the death as an accidental death and subsequently maintained that it was a suicide, with no evidence of foul play.
The case was revived after Salian’s father, Satish Salian, approached the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh investigation. He alleged that his daughter had been murdered and that the circumstances surrounding her death had not been properly investigated. On September 2, the High Court ordered the CBI to register an FIR and conduct a fresh probe, pointing to what it described as significant discrepancies in the earlier investigation.
The FIR reportedly names Aaditya Thackeray, actor Dino Morea, Rhea Chakraborty and Sooraj Pancholi, among others. Salian’s father had also mentioned several names in his statement to the CBI. However, the allegations contained in the complaint and FIR remain allegations and have not been established as facts by the investigation.
Importantly, the Bombay High Court had specifically directed that no person should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material emerges during the CBI investigation. This distinction matters because being named in an FIR does not, by itself, establish guilt.
Aaditya Thackeray has denied having any connection with Salian’s death and has previously said that there was no basis for the allegations against him.
The CBI investigation will now determine whether the allegations are supported by evidence. After years of speculation, the case has entered a new and potentially consequential phase, with both the political implications and the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death once again under intense scrutiny.
