The Bombay high court on Friday reserved its verdict on a plea by deceased celebrity manager Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, seeking an independent and transparent probe into her 2020 death, observing that several aspects of the case required scrutiny.
The police registered an accidental death report, but Rajput’s death by suicide six days later fuelled intense speculation about the circumstances leading to the two deaths and a possible link between the cases. The police, however, ruled out any foul play. It also questioned why the police had continued the inquiry for years if they did not suspect any foul play. The bench also questioned the timing of the police’s action, saying that while the father had approached the court several years after the incident, the police themselves had reopened the inquiry three years after the original closure of the matter.
Disha, who briefly worked with actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad on June 8, 2020. He filed a petition in the high court in March 2025 challenging the police’s version. Public prosecutor Shishir Hiray, appearing for the State government, submitted that after the Maharashtra government ordered reassessment of the accidental death report (ADR) in December 2022, the police also examined the CCTV footage and recorded witness statements of six people, and “none of them alleged any foul play in the case.
The court, however, emphasised that a proper investigation must be carried out so that “no prejudice is caused to anyone”. “When there was no suspicion, why did you go on enquiring for six years,” the bench asked.
Disha’s father alleged that the story about Disha’s death by suicide was created and publicised even before the police started their probe.
Police Close Case Without Report After Five Years
The police have closed the investigation into the case involving Salian, stating that there was neither rape nor murder. Nilesh Ojha, Salian’s advocate, criticized the authorities for concluding the case without providing a detailed investigation report to the family for five years. He emphasized that the police were obligated to conduct a thorough investigation before closing the matter.
