The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR and conduct a fresh, thorough investigation into the 2020 death of Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The order came on a petition filed by Salian’s father, Satish Salian, who had alleged ‘serious lapses’ in the Mumbai Police investigation.
“There is room for reasonable doubt in all these aspects. However, we are not drawing any conclusion at this stage,” the court said in its key observation.
Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. Six days later, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence. Mumbai Police had initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and later maintained that Salian had died by suicide.
The High Court’s direction follows questions raised during earlier hearings over several aspects of the investigation. The court had pointed to discrepancies concerning the injuries recorded, the absence of bloodstains at the scene and differences between descriptions of Salian’s clothing in official records and photographs. The bench had observed that there was “room for reasonable doubt” while making it clear that it was not drawing any conclusion at that stage.
The court has now directed the CBI to record Satish Salian’s statement, register an FIR and appoint a senior, experienced officer to conduct the investigation. Mumbai Police has also been ordered to hand over all records and case papers to the central agency.
Importantly, the court clarified that ordering an FIR and a CBI investigation does not amount to holding anyone guilty. The bench said, “Nobody shall be treated as an accused unless, in the opinion of the investigating officer, there are sufficient grounds to raise reasonable suspicion against him.”
The bench further directed that if the CBI finds that no criminal case is made out, it must submit an appropriate summary report before the concerned court. Satish Salian has been given the liberty to challenge such a report.
The case has remained closely linked in public discourse to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who died six days after Salian. However, the High Court’s latest order concerns the investigation into Salian’s death itself.
Salian’s father had alleged that his daughter was raped and murdered, claims that Mumbai Police rejected. The police had maintained that there was no evidence of sexual assault and had treated the death as suicide.
The CBI will now undertake a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
