Days after the Central Bureau of Investigation FIR named Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray in the Disha Salian death case, her father Satish Salian has issued a Rs 500 crore defamation notice to Thackeray and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh. In the notice issued on 16th September, Satish Salian alleged that his pursuit of justice for Disha Salian, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was portrayed as “politically motivated” by Aditya Thackeray and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
“In his pursuit of justice concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of his daughter, my client lodged a detailed complaint before the competent police authorities, placing on record specific allegations and material available with him and seeking registration of an FIR in respect of offences including gang rape, murder, destruction/suppression of evidence and the involvement of various persons,” the notice reads.
The notice further highlights that the CBI FIR names Aditya Thackeray, details how material facts pertaining to the matter were allegedly suppressed or covered up.
“The complaint specifically contained allegations against Noticee No. 1, Shri Aaditya Thackeray, as well as other persons as offenders whose roles required investigation. The complaint and subsequent proceedings also raised serious allegations concerning acts and omissions of various public servants and police officials connected with the original handling of the case and the alleged subsequent suppression and/or cover-up of material facts,” the defamation notice adds.
Satish Salian’s counsel stated that the petition was instituted by Satish Salian in exercise of his constitutional and statutory remedies as a father seeking an independent investigation into the death of his daughter and was supported by the allegations, circumstances, contradictions and documentary/electronic material specifically placed before the Hon’ble High Court.
“You, Noticee No. 1, being yourself specifically named by my client as one of the principal offender in his complaint containing allegations of gang rape, murder, conspiracy and destruction/suppression of evidence, chose to intervene in the aforesaid proceedings and actively opposed his petition seeking registration of an FIR and an independent investigation into those allegations,” it adds.
Instead of questioning the maintainability of the case against him, Aaditya Thackeray attacked the credibility of Satish Salian
The defamation notice further stresses that Aaditya Thackeray did not confine himself to disputing the case’s maintainability; rather, he directly questioned Satish Salian’s motives and portrayed his pursuance of legal remedies as “motivated, malicious and actuated by an ulterior object of damaging your reputation.”
“In opposing the petition, you did not confine yourself to questions of law or maintainability. You directly questioned my client’s bona fides and motives, portraying his pursuit of legal remedies concerning the death of his daughter as politically motivated, malicious and actuated by an ulterior object of damaging your reputation. It was further contended on your behalf that my client was being “used as a tool to harass” you,” the notice reads.
The allegations levelled by Aaditya Thackeray against Satish Salian are “baseless, reckless and grossly defamatory”
Calling the claims made by Aaditya Thackeray that his implication in the Disha Salian death case is ‘politically motivated’ as “baseless”, Satish Salian’s defamation notice states that these claims are “false, baseless, reckless and grossly defamatory.”
“The aforesaid allegations are false, baseless, reckless and grossly defamatory, having been made without any credible material or proof and solely with a view to further your ulterior and improper motives. The said allegations amount to a direct and serious imputation upon the integrity, credibility, honesty and bona fides of my client, by portraying a bereaved father, who was merely seeking a lawful investigation into the alleged gang rape and murder of his daughter, as a person abusing the judicial process for an improper, malicious and politically motivated purpose,” the notice adds.
Himself accused in the Disha Salian death case, Aaditya Thackeray attempted to discredit the complainant
The notice further states that Satish Salian had named Aaditya Thackeray in the complaint, and that the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader’s alleged role in Disha Salian’s death was to be investigated; Thackeray resorted to discredit the complainant.
“The gravity of the aforesaid imputations is further aggravated by the fact that you yourself were specifically named in my client’s complaint as a person whose alleged role was required to be investigated. Thus, while seeking to resist and defeat such investigation, you simultaneously attempted to discredit the complainant himself by attributing to him mala fide, political and ulterior motives for invoking lawful remedies…” the notice adds.
Aaditya Thackeray had claimed that he never met Disha Salian, him implication in her death case is ‘politically motivated’
On 16th September, Aaditya Thackeray stated X and claimed that he never met Disha Salian. He alleged that his name is being linked to Salian’s death due to political motives, out of personal enmity, and for character assassination.
“To stop the dust of rumours once again, I’m stating only and only the facts! I have never met Disha Salian, nor did I have any acquaintance with her. For political motives, out of personal enmity, with the intent of character assassination, for the past 6 years, some people have been deliberately trying to link my name to this unfortunate incident repeatedly, despite there being no evidence or connection whatsoever,” he wrote in Marathi.
Further, Thackeray criticised television news channels for allegedly running a false campaign against him and conducting media trials.
“This constant false campaign, devoid of any facts or truth, is unfortunate. The false discussions on TV channels and media trials carried out through empty bluster cannot alter the truth. Allow the official machinery to conduct this inquiry afresh—without any interference, without political intervention, without character assassination, and impartially. I say it once again: if you think that through such character assassination and false propaganda, you can make us sit quietly, that is your delusion. For the sake of truth, against injustice, our fight will continue, taking the countrymen along with us!” he wrote.
CBI FIR names Aaditya Thackeray and actor Rhea Chakraborty
Recently, the CBI registered an FIR into the death of Disha Salian, the former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, nearly six years after her death and following a direction from the Bombay High Court.
The FIR names several individuals for investigation and sets out allegations ranging from criminal conspiracy and an alleged cover-up to the purported creation and propagation of what it describes as a “false suicide story”.
Among those named in the FIR are Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, Rohan Roy, actors Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi, Aaditya Thackeray’s bodyguards, Rhea Chakraborty, Showik Chakraborty, former police officer Sachin Vaze, former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh, DCP Vishal Thakur and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, along with police personnel, forensic officials, doctors and several other individuals, also find mention in the FIR.
The FIR alleges that “the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, father of Aaditya Thackeray, and others also played a significant role in the conspiracy and subsequent cover-up.”
It must be recalled that Disha Salian died on 8th June 2020, after falling from a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Mumbai Police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) rather than an FIR at the time. Salian had worked briefly as Sushant Singh Rajput’s manager.
Just six days after Disha Salian’s death, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his residence in Bandra. While a CBI closure report concluded that Rajput’s death was a suicide, that report is yet to be heard by the competent court.
