Five years after the tragic death of Disha Salian, the former manager of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, her father, Satish Salian, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking the registration of an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and several others. In his petition, he made a series of explosive allegations, claiming that his daughter’s death was not an accident, as initially reported, but the result of a heinous crime covered up by powerful individuals. This move has reignited a politically charged debate, with Aaditya Thackeray dismissing the allegations as a politically motivated attempt by the ruling BJP to tarnish his reputation, vowing to defend himself in court.
Disha died on June 8, 2020, reportedly after falling from the 14th floor of a high-rise building in Malad, Mumbai. The police initially registered her case as an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Just six days later, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment, with the police concluding it was a suicide. The investigation into Rajput’s death was eventually transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), triggering a nationwide media frenzy and countless conspiracy theories. Back in 2020, Satish Salian had publicly stated that he was satisfied with the police’s handling of his daughter’s case and dismissed rumors of foul play.
However, his recent plea tells a vastly different story. Satish Salian now claims that on the night of June 8, Disha hosted a party at her residence, attended by Aaditya Thackeray, his bodyguards, actors Sooraj Pancholi, Dino Morea, and other high-profile individuals. The petition, citing alleged eyewitness accounts, claims that Disha was brutally gang-raped, physically restrained, and subjected to a violent sexual assault. It further states that despite the official narrative that she died from a fall, her body showed no signs of fractures, and there was a conspicuous absence of blood at the scene — details that challenge the police's original findings.
The plea goes on to allege that the official post-mortem report was manipulated under political pressure to shield the accused. It asserts that Disha’s body was not found where it was claimed, but was later moved to stage a false suicide scene. The petition also refers to photographic evidence, which it claims was doctored to support a fabricated suicide theory. It accuses the police of deliberately destroying key forensic evidence and tampering with CCTV footage from the building. It further alleges that Disha’s cremation was expedited without a thorough post-mortem examination to ensure any trace of sexual assault was erased.
One of the most shocking points in the plea highlights the timeline discrepancies between Disha’s and Sushant’s autopsies. While Sushant’s autopsy was performed on the day of his death, Disha’s was allegedly delayed by over 50 hours — a delay Satish Salian argues was orchestrated to give enough time to cover up signs of assault. The petition directly accuses Aaditya Thackeray of being the "main accused" behind the alleged crimes and the subsequent cover-up.
Satish Salian’s petition requests that this case be connected to an earlier plea filed by the Supreme Court and High Court Litigants Association, led by Rashid Khan Pathan in 2023. It urges the court to treat Pathan’s complaint to the Mumbai Police chief as a foundation for filing a murder FIR and demands a fresh CBI-led investigation into Disha’s death.
In response to mounting pressure, the Maharashtra government had previously set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in 2023 to re-examine Disha’s death. However, the SIT has yet to publish its findings, adding to the growing mistrust and suspicion surrounding the case.
The case has sparked a fresh political showdown between Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition and Shiv Sena (UBT). Aaditya Thackeray maintained his stance that this was a calculated smear campaign to assassinate his character and sidetrack him from other ongoing issues. "For five years, they have tried to defame me with baseless accusations. This is nothing new. If the matter is in court, I will fight it there," he said.
Maharashtra minister and BJP ally Sanjay Shirsat supported Disha’s father’s move, stating that the truth would prevail and the guilty would face justice. He remarked, "Disha's father remained silent all these years, but he could not endure it anymore. He has spoken his truth now, and the court will decide what happens next."
On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned the timing of the petition, suggesting it was driven by political motives. He argued that the five-year delay raised suspicions, pointing out that the original police investigation had concluded it was an accidental death. "I have reviewed the reports. It was an accident, not murder. Now, suddenly, after five years, this petition surfaces. Everyone knows the politics behind this. They (BJP) are trying to rekindle the Disha Salian case to divert attention from the Aurangzeb issue," Raut stated.
With Aaditya Thackeray vowing to fight the allegations in court and the case becoming an intense political battlefield, the Bombay High Court’s decision on whether to accept Satish Salian’s plea and order a fresh investigation could reshape the narrative of both Disha Salian’s and Sushant Singh Rajput’s deaths. The next hearing, eagerly awaited by all sides, may shed light on whether this is a step toward uncovering the truth or another chapter in a long-running political slugfest.
