Disha Salian death: Bombay HC orders CBI probe; Mumbai Police told to hand over case papers

Former celebrity manager Disha Salian. File Pic

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered a CBI probe into the death of former celebrity manager Disha Salian after her father raised suspicions about the circumstances surrounding her death in 2020.

A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsle directed the CBI to register an FIR and record the statement of Salian's father, Satish Salian. However, the court clarified that no person should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material emerges against them during the investigation, reported PTI.

Mumbai Police asked to hand over case papers

The court directed the Mumbai Police to hand over all case papers related to the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) forthwith.

"In case the investigation reveals that no case is made out, then the CBI shall file the appropriate summary report before the court concerned," the bench said, PTI reported.

The court also said Satish Salian would be at liberty to challenge the report if he was dissatisfied with the findings.

Disha Salian died in June 2020

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. The Mumbai Police subsequently registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

Following an inquiry, the police concluded that Salian's death was a case of suicide. Her father, however, approached the Bombay High Court last year, alleging that his daughter had been gang-raped and murdered.

Father sought CBI probe, FIR against Aaditya Thackeray

Salian's advocate, Nilesh Ojha, had raised doubts over the police investigation into the case.

Satish Salian sought a CBI probe into his daughter's death and an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, reported PTI.

In his petition, he claimed that his daughter had died under mysterious circumstances in June 2020. He alleged that she was raped and murdered and that a politically orchestrated cover-up was subsequently carried out to protect certain influential persons.

Bombay HC has raised questions over probe, says lawyer

Earlier on August 28, Advocate Nilesh Ojha, representing Disha Salian's father Satish Salian, said that the Mumbai court raised several questions about the police investigation into her death.

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.

(With PTI inputs)