The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR and investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of former celebrity manager Disha Salian, nearly six years after she died following a fall from a residential building in Mumbai.
A division bench of Justices Sarang V Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsle directed the CBI to appoint a senior and experienced officer to conduct the investigation. The court, however, made it clear that no individual should be treated as an accused unless the investigating officer finds sufficient material against them.
The order came on a petition filed by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, who has alleged foul play in his daughter’s death and questioned the manner in which the Mumbai Police handled the case.
Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. The Mumbai Police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Her death occurred days before actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence.
Reacting to the High Court order, an emotional Satish Salian said he had been waiting for the development for six years.
“I have been waiting for this for 6 years. I’ve been waiting for 6 years, and there is no reason to be happy. I have lost my daughter. I feel relieved today. That’s all… I folded my hands and expressed my gratitude to him (the judge),” he told reporters.
Salian’s lawyer Nilesh Ojha said the CBI had been directed to record his statement and register an FIR, while Malvani Police Station would have to hand over the relevant case records to the central agency.
Ojha said the court had also ensured that no individual would be named as an accused without supporting evidence.
If the investigation does not disclose a cognisable offence, the CBI can submit an appropriate closure report before the competent court. Satish Salian would then be free to challenge the report through a protest petition.
If evidence of a cognisable offence emerges, the investigating officer has been directed to proceed in accordance with law.
The High Court had previously raised questions about aspects of the case, including why only an ADR was registered despite subsequent allegations raised by Salian’s father. The court had also taken note of the family’s grievance that copies of the post-mortem report and ADR were not provided to them for years.
Ojha has questioned aspects of the post-mortem report and alleged discrepancies in the original investigation. These remain allegations made by the petitioner’s side and will now be examined as part of the CBI investigation.
Mumbai Police, meanwhile, maintained before the court that its investigation had found no evidence warranting prosecution of anyone in connection with Salian’s death. The state had argued that the available material pointed towards either suicide or an accidental fall.
The High Court’s order does not endorse the allegations made against any individual. The court has specifically cautioned the investigating agency against treating anyone as an accused without sufficient evidence.
The order also triggered political reactions in Maharashtra. BJP MLA Ram Kadam welcomed the development and accused the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government of attempting to suppress the case to protect influential individuals.
Kadam said the fresh investigation should determine whether anyone had been shielded during the earlier probe. These claims remain political allegations and have not been established by the court.
The High Court’s decision now opens a fresh criminal investigation into a case that has remained at the centre of legal disputes, political allegations and public speculation since 2020. The CBI will ultimately determine whether the evidence supports any criminal charges.
