Disha Salian’s father files case in HC, targets cops and Aaditya Thackeray

In his petition, Satish Salian states that he firmly believes his daughter’s alleged murder was part of a larger conspiracy, where the Mumbai police, political figures and influential individuals in Bollywood and the media worked in tandem to fabricate a false narrative

MUMBAI: Two days after he claimed a political cover-up in the death of his daughter Disha Salian, the deceased celebrity PR manager’s father Satish Salian has registered a petition in the Bombay High Court, seeking justice for his daughter.

Disha Salian’s father files case in HC, targets cops and Aaditya Thackeray

Disha is believed to have fallen to her death from a high-rise in Malad on the night of June 8, 2020, but her father now alleges she was gang-raped and murdered, and an elaborate plan was hatched by the police, political figures and other influential individuals to hush up the case.

The high court’s Registry on Friday accepted the petition filed by Satish Salian, after all the objections were removed by the advocate for the petitioner.

In his petition, Salian states that he firmly believes his daughter’s alleged murder was part of a larger conspiracy, where the Mumbai police, political figures and influential individuals in Bollywood and the media worked in tandem to fabricate a false narrative. They also destroyed crucial evidence and silenced those who dared question the official version of the events, he stated.

Salian has urged the court to facilitate an independent, impartial and transparent investigation to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice. He also alleged the police were never working to solve the case – they were working to bury it.

In his petition, Salian stated that the circumstances surrounding Disha’s death were questionable, yet instead of conducting an impartial and scientific investigation, the Mumbai police hastily closed the case as an accidental death. They failed to take into account forensic evidence, circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimonies, he claimed.

The petition stated that officers with the Malvani police, Disha’s fiancé Rohan Rai, and then mayor of Mumbai Kishori Pednekar played a pivotal role in pressuring Salian into accepting that his daughter’s death was an accident. It highlighted the “suspicious and targeted actions against powerful political figures, including journalist Arnab Goswami, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, Union cabinet minister Narayan Rane, BJP MLA Nitish Rane, and then Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede, and protection of Sachin Waze, which solidified his belief”.

Referring to the party at Disha’s apartment on June 8, the night she died, Salian claimed there was a drastic change in the scenario due to the arrival of Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT leader and then sate environment minister) and his bodyguards; actor Sooraj Pancholi; and actor Dino Morea. He alleged that Disha was subjected to brutal sexual assault and murdered to silence her as she had become aware of a high-profile crime involving the sexual assault of a minor girl at an elite party attended by powerful individuals.

The petition also refers to the alleged involvement of actress Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend. In the wake of his death, she was questioned, and eventually arrested for supplying him with marijuana. She spent about six weeks in jail, before being released on bail.

Now, Salian’s father has expressed suspicion over her alleged connection with Thackeray. He mentioned a detail that has been cited before — that Chakraborty and Thackeray were allegedly in direct communication at least 44 times, over the phone in the aftermath of the two deaths.

Given the alleged deliberate destruction of evidence and systematic manipulation of facts, Salian’s father urged the court to summon and interrogate the officials involved in the alleged cover-up. He further requested the court to initiate a forensic review of the crime scene by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ensure that high-profile accused persons are subjected to custodial interrogation and scientific tests.

Salian pointed to a complaint filed by Mursalin Sheikh, vice-president of the Indian Lawyers and Human Rights Activists Association, to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), on October 28, 2023, which alleged that Thackeray operates a cross-border drug syndicate in collusion with senior police officials. He also claimed that Thackeray and his associates financed and organised crimes against children and dark web activities. “Aditya Thackeray has been involved in anti-national activities aimed at fostering religious and communal discord in India,” it added.

The petition further requested police protection for advocate Rashid Khan Pathan, who has been actively pursuing the matter despite threats and intimidation. It also sought protection for Salian’s advocate, Nilesh Ojha, who has “fearlessly taken up the cause and exposed several illegalities in the investigation process and the vulnerable parties in the case”.

“Failure to provide adequate security may result in further suppression of evidence, intimidation of witnesses, and obstruction of justice, which will severely compromise the integrity of the investigation and the legal proceedings”, the petition added.

Disha’s father refused to make any comments to HT but his lawyer, Nilesh Ojha said, “I hope justice is served soon. The state should take cognisance of the case as soon as possible.”

We are watching closely: Fadnavis

The state government is keeping an eye on the new claims in the Disha Salian case, but there have so far been no new developments at the government or police-investigation level, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. Fadnavis made his comments during an interview with the Marathi channel ABP Majha. Further steps will be taken as per court directives, he added.

“An advocate has moved court. We are closely watching to see if any new evidence emerges, or is submitted in court. In case any such development or court directives are made, the government will take a call and act,” he said.