28 August,2026 04:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput`s ex-manager Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a building in Malad area in Mumbai. File Pic
Advocate Nilesh Ojha, representing Disha Salian's father Satish Salian, on Friday said that the Mumbai court raised several questions about the police investigation into her death, reported the ANI.
Speaking to reporters after arguments were heard over two days, Ojha said the court had examined the documents and procedures followed by the police and questioned their legal basis.
According to the advocate, the complaint before the court concerned allegations of gang rape and murder, rather than an accidental death.
Ojha argued that the police could not investigate allegations of murder and gang rape under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with inquiries into certain unnatural or suspicious deaths.
He said the court questioned how the investigation had been conducted under the provision and referred to a Supreme Court judgment while considering the matter.
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's ex-manager, Disha Salian, had died on June 8, 2020, after falling off the 14th floor of a building in Malad area. While police concluded after an inquiry that she had died by suicide, her father, Satish Salian, approached the High Court last year questioning Mumbai Police's probe.
Ojha also questioned the circumstances surrounding the closure of the case on February 4, 2021.
He asked under which legal provision the investigation had subsequently been reopened, claiming that no such provision had been shown to the court.
The advocate further argued that an investigation to identify an accused or alleged perpetrator can begin only after an FIR is registered.
He claimed that when the court asked the authorities to identify the legal provision authorising the investigation, they were unable to provide one.
Ojha said this, in his view, showed that the investigation had not followed the correct legal procedure.
Ojha also alleged that there were discrepancies between the government's affidavit and other material presented before the court.
He referred to a claim in the affidavit concerning a police sub-inspector allegedly calling from the location and another claim about whether Salian's eyes were covered.
The lawyer said the court questioned these details during the hearing.
These allegations and interpretations were presented by Ojha as part of the arguments made on behalf of Salian's father and have not been independently established.
Ojha also said the court questioned the account of Salian allegedly falling from the 14th floor.
According to the advocate, the court examined whether the reported injuries were consistent with the circumstances described by the authorities.
Ojha referred to questions about injuries to the face, teeth, nose and skull and said the court sought clarification on how the injuries could have occurred in the manner described.
Ojha claimed that the court observed there were sufficient grounds to raise suspicion and consider ordering a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
He said the government counsel was asked to respond to the concerns raised during the hearing but, according to him, did not provide a satisfactory legal explanation.
Ojha said the government side instead focused on the narrative surrounding the case rather than addressing the legal questions raised by the court.
(with ANI inputs)
