On 2nd September (Wednesday), the CBI has been asked by the Bombay High Court to look into the death of 28-year-old Disha Salian, the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s former manager. In June 2020, she perished after mysteriously falling from the fourteenth storey of a suburban Malad high-rise.
A division bench consisting of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale directed the agency to designate a senior and experienced investigator to conduct the case’s investigation in response to a petition submitted by her father Satish Salian. “No one shall be treated as an accused unless and until there is suitable material against them,” the court pronounced.
It stated that the chargesheet should be filed as soon as possible if the investigation reveals that a cognisable offence has been committed. However, the investigating officer has been instructed to start the proper closure procedures before the appropriate court if no such development transpires. Additionally, the court ordered that Satish Salian provide a statement for the inquiry. He also has the option to lodge a protest appeal in the event that the CBI reports something unfavourable.
Son of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, was named as a suspect in the petition. Satish Salian’s attorney contended that a cognisable offence should be reported as an FIR as required by law. He pointed to documents, highlighting inconsistencies and suspicious circumstances to request a full investigation.
The court also raised concerns about several things it deemed “suspicious,” such as whether the injuries were consistent with a fall from such a height and specifics about clothing, after being given papers including the Panchanama, pictures of the body and other information from the investigation thus far.
“This was definitely not a suicide. Prominent individuals are involved in this matter. I cannot take any names, but truth will be revealed soon,” Satish Salian expressed while talking to NDTV, adding that there is a relationship between the death of his daughter and that of Sushant Singh Rajput.
🚨FIRST ON @NDTV: Disha Salian’s father Satish Salian speaks to me after the Bombay HC orders a CBI probe into his daughter’s death, says “100% not suicide, big people involved in cover-up.” pic.twitter.com/2NLzXnhjZW
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 2, 2026
The Division Bench of Justices Bharti Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande voiced concerns during a previous hearing regarding the fact that, despite the family’s assertions that Disha had been murdered, only an Accidental Death Report (ADR) rather than an FIR had been filed in the case. Moreover, the court observed that even five years after her death, copies of the post-mortem report and ADR had not been sent to her family.
In June 2020, Disha was reportedly partying with herfiancée and their friends when she fell from the fourteenth storey of a residential building in Malad, Mumbai. An accidental death case was filed by the police. Six days later, Sushant Singh Rajput was also found dead, fuelling speculation about the circumstances surrounding the two deaths and a probable link between the incidents.
However, the authorities ruled out any foul play and claimed that she committed suicide after being upset over something at the party. The closure report submitted to a magistrate in February 2021 read that nothing inappropriate or questionable was spotted. According to Satish Salian, the account about his daughter’s suicide was written and made public before the police even began their investigation. In March 2025, he challenged the police version in a high court appeal.
“Today, we have filed a written complaint to the CP office, and the JCP Crime accepted it, and this complaint is the FIR now… The accused are Aaditya Thackeray, Dino Morea, Suraj Pancholi and his bodyguard, Parambir Singh, Sachin Vaze, and Rhea Chakraborty are all accused in this FIR…Parambir Singh was the main mastermind for the cover-up in this case… He did a press conference and fabricated lies to save Aaditya Thackeray…All the details are in the FIR… NCB’s investigation paper proves that Aaditya Thackeray was involved in a drug business; that detail has been mentioned in this FIR,” Satish Salian’s lawyer conveyed last year.
