Bombay High Court Questions Delay in Disha Salian Death Investigation

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has raised serious questions over the prolonged police investigation into the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The bench asked authorities to clarify when the investigation will be completed.

Disha Salian died in June 2020 after falling from the 14th floor of a building in Malad, Mumbai. The police initially registered the case as an accidental death. On Thursday, a bench comprising Justices Ajay Gadkari and R.R. Bhosale observed that five years have passed since Salian’s death. They emphasized that the investigation should determine whether her death was suicide or an unintentional homicide.

The government lawyer, Manakuwar Deshmukh, told the court that the investigation is still ongoing. The bench questioned why the case is taking so long, noting that it has been five years. The lawyer responded that the police are conducting a detailed inquiry to rule out all possibilities.

Demand for CBI Probe

The hearing was held on a petition filed by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, seeking a CBI investigation. The petition alleges that his daughter was brutally murdered after sexual assault and claims a political conspiracy to protect influential individuals. It further contends that the Mumbai Police ignored forensic evidence, circumstantial facts, and eyewitness statements, prematurely concluding the case as suicide or accidental death. The petition also seeks instructions to register an FIR against Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray.

Orders to Submit Postmortem Report

The government lawyer informed the bench that the police had recorded statements from the petitioner and other concerned parties, who had indicated they had no suspicion against anyone. However, the bench noted that the petitioner was now presenting different arguments, and asked why basic investigation documents were not being shared. The bench clarified that legally, the petitioner, being the victim’s father, is entitled to receive relevant documents.

The next hearing is scheduled for 11 December, during which the government lawyer will have to clarify the police’s stance on providing investigation documents to the petitioner. The police have also been instructed to submit Disha Salian’s postmortem report in court.