The Bombay high court on Friday reserved its verdict on a plea by deceased celebrity manager Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, seeking an independent and transparent probe into her 2020 death, observing that several aspects of the case required scrutiny.
The police registered an accidental death report, but Rajput’s death by suicide six days later fuelled intense speculation about the circumstances leading to the two deaths and a possible link between the cases. The police, however, ruled out any foul play. It also questioned why the police had continued the inquiry for years if they did not suspect any foul play. The bench also questioned the timing of the police’s action, saying that while the father had approached the court several years after the incident, the police themselves had reopened the inquiry three years after the original closure of the matter.
Disha, who briefly worked with actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Malad on June 8, 2020. He filed a petition in the high court in March 2025 challenging the police’s version.
A division bench of Justices Sarang V Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale questioned Mumbai police’s decision to close the inquiry and said a proper investigation should be carried out before ruling out the possibility of a further probe. The court, however, emphasised that a proper investigation must be carried out so that “no prejudice is caused to anyone”. “When there was no suspicion, why did you go on enquiring for six years,” the bench asked.
Disha’s father alleged that the story about Disha’s death by suicide was created and publicised even before the police started their probe.
He added that the concerned authorities concluded that there was neither rape nor murder and closed the case without furnishing the investigation report to the family for five years.
Salian’s advocate Nilesh Ojha said the police were bound to investigate the matter properly before closing the case.
