16 September,2026 06:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Aaditya Thackeray said the CBI investigation should be allowed to proceed without what he described as political distractions and attempts at character assassination. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said he had never met or known Disha Salian, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and alleged that attempts to link his name to her death were aimed at damaging his reputation, reported the PTI.
His comments came after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR in the 2020 Disha Salian death case following a Bombay High Court order directing a fresh investigation. The FIR does not name anyone as an accused at this stage.
The CBI has said individuals would be treated as accused only if evidence of their involvement emerges during the investigation.
In a post on X, Aaditya Thackeray said he had never met or known Salian and described attempts to connect him to the case as an "evidence-free" effort to damage his reputation.
He alleged that the campaign against him had continued for nearly six years and was driven by political and personal motives.
Thackeray said the CBI investigation should be allowed to proceed without what he described as political distractions and attempts at character assassination.
He also said such allegations would not stop him from standing by what he described as the truth.
According to the PTI, the CBI registered the FIR after the Bombay High Court, on September 2, directed the agency to investigate Salian's death.
The court's order came on a petition filed by Disha Salian's father, Satish Salian. The High Court directed that no person should be treated as an accused unless there was suitable material against them.
The CBI FIR mentions several individuals, including Aaditya Thackeray, whose roles the agency says require investigation. However, the people mentioned in the FIR have not been named as accused at this stage.
The CBI investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding Salian's death as well as the handling of the case by the authorities.
The FIR calls for scrutiny of police records, case papers, forensic and autopsy material and statements from people connected with the case. It also contains allegations concerning possible suppression or destruction of records and other aspects of the earlier investigation. These are allegations to be examined by the agency and have not been established by the FIR itself, as per the PTI.
Disha Salian, 28, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area.
Mumbai Police had initially registered an accidental death report and subsequently treated the incident as a case of suicide.
Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence six days later, on June 14, 2020. The two deaths subsequently became the subject of public speculation and demands for further investigation.
Thackeray said the official investigation should be allowed to establish the facts.
He maintained that attempts to politically use the case against him would not deter him from pursuing what he described as the fight for truth and for citizens.
(with PTI inputs)
