The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by Satish Salian, father of deceased celebrity manager Disha Salian, seeking an independent and transparent investigation into her 2020 death. Questions were raised by the court over the manner in which the Mumbai Police inquiry had been conducted and subsequently closed. The matter was heard by a division bench of Justices Sarang V Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale. It was observed that several aspects of the case required scrutiny and that a proper investigation should be undertaken before the possibility of a further probe was ruled out.
Disha Salian died after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad on June 8, 2020. An accidental death report was registered by the police, and foul play was subsequently ruled out. The case received widespread attention after actor Sushant Singh Rajput, with whom Disha had briefly worked, died by suicide six days later. Speculation about a possible connection between the two deaths was generated, though no such link was established by the police.
The police findings were challenged by Satish Salian through a petition filed before the High Court in March 2025. It was alleged in the petition that Disha had been raped and murdered and that facts surrounding her death had been suppressed by police officers, politicians and other influential individuals. These allegations have not been established by the court. A transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was also sought, along with action against members of the special investigation team constituted by the Maharashtra government.
Questions regarding the investigation were raised by Salian's advocate, Nilesh Ojha. It was submitted that the matter should have been properly investigated before being closed and that the investigation report had not been furnished to the family for several years. The circumstances surrounding the location where Disha's body was found were also questioned. An analysis commissioned by the petitioner's side was cited to argue that the position of the body required further examination.
The Maharashtra government, represented by public prosecutor Shishir Hiray, maintained that the accidental death report had been reassessed following directions issued in December 2022. CCTV footage was examined and statements of six witnesses were recorded. It was submitted that none of the witnesses had alleged foul play.
The bench, however, questioned why the inquiry had continued for several years when no suspicion of foul play was said to have existed. The timing of the reassessment was also questioned, as the matter had been revisited years after the original inquiry. It was emphasised by the court that a proper investigation should be carried out so that no prejudice was caused to anyone. The bench also clarified that political considerations were not being examined and that its primary concern was whether the grievance raised by a father over his daughter's death had been appropriately addressed under the law.