New Delhi, Sept 2027 : Satish Salian, father of late Disha Salian, has issued a defamation notice seeking ₹500 crore in damages from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh over statements concerning his efforts to seek a fresh investigation into his daughter’s death. The notice has demanded an apology, withdrawal of the statements and payment of the compensation within seven days.
Disha Salian, 28, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a high-rise building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Her death was initially treated by Mumbai Police as an accidental death and an Accidental Death Report (ADR) was registered. Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, for whom Salian had worked as a manager, died six days later.
Satish Salian subsequently approached the Bombay High Court seeking registration of an FIR and a fresh investigation into his daughter’s death. His petition raised allegations of a possible criminal angle and sought examination of the roles of several individuals. Following proceedings before the High Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now registered an FIR and begun a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to reports, the defamation notice alleges that Thackeray questioned Satish Salian’s motives and portrayed his pursuit of a fresh probe as politically motivated and intended to damage Thackeray’s reputation. The notice describes those allegations as false, baseless and defamatory, arguing that they cast doubt on the integrity and bona fides of a father seeking a lawful investigation.
The notice also objects to an alleged representation that the CBI had previously investigated the matter and given Thackeray a “clean chit”. It further alleges that Thackeray had claimed Satish Salian was being used as a “tool to harass” him.
Deshmukh has also been named in the notice over remarks attributed to him. According to the notice, Deshmukh had described the Disha Salian case in March 2025 as a “conspiracy to defame Aaditya Thackeray”. Satish Salian has alleged that such remarks portrayed him as a politically motivated litigant misusing the criminal justice system.
Apart from ₹500 crore in damages, the notice seeks an “unconditional, unequivocal and unqualified” written and public apology from both leaders. It reportedly demands that the apology be published and broadcast across major print, television and digital platforms. A video apology of at least three minutes, to be posted on their official social media accounts, has also been sought.
Thackeray, meanwhile, has denied having any association with Disha Salian. His statement came after the CBI FIR named him among several people whose roles are under investigation. Thackeray said he had never met or known Salian and described attempts to link him to the case as an “evidence-free” campaign aimed at damaging his reputation.
He has also called for the CBI’s fresh investigation to proceed without political interference or what he described as character assassination. Other individuals named in connection with the investigation have similarly denied wrongdoing.
The CBI probe remains ongoing, and the allegations contained in the FIR and the competing claims made by various parties are subject to investigation and legal proceedings. Being named in an FIR or having one’s role examined does not by itself establish criminal guilt.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
