Nearly six years after Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died in a fall from a high-rise building in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into her death.
What The Bombay High Court Ordered
A division bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal and Justice Ranjitsinha Bhonsale passed the order on September 2 while hearing a petition filed by Salian’s father, Satish Salian. The bench directed the CBI to assign a senior, experienced officer to head the investigation. At the same time, the court was careful to state that no individual should be branded an accused unless the investigating officer uncovers sufficient material against them.
#BREAKING | CBI To Probe Sushant Singh Rajput's Ex-Manager Disha Salian's Death Case https://t.co/cmzWbYzXAq
— NDTV (@ndtv) September 2, 2026
NDTV's @sujata_dwivedi brings you the key details pic.twitter.com/WdNkPHJESO
The judges also instructed the investigating officer to file a chargesheet at the earliest if a cognisable offence is established. If the probe finds no such offence, the officer has been directed to file closure proceedings before the appropriate court, while Satish Salian retains the right to file a protest petition against any such closure.
Background Of The Case
Salian, 28, died on the night of June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Malad suburb. Mumbai Police have consistently maintained that she died by suicide. Her death came just days before Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020 — a sequence of events that fuelled years of speculation and political controversy over any possible connection between the two cases.
Satish Salian had approached the High Court last year seeking registration of an FIR, alleging that his daughter was raped and murdered rather than having died by suicide or accident. The Mumbai Police, however, has held that the evidence points to an accidental or self-inflicted fall, with no material found to prosecute anyone.
Arguments Presented In Court
Advocate Nilesh Ojha, representing Satish Salian, argued that the police failed to share even the post-mortem report with the family for several years, and that no FIR was registered despite names being furnished, including that of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray. Ojha contended that under the Supreme Court’s Lalita Kumari judgment, the police were obligated to register an FIR once suspicion was raised.
Representing the state, Chief Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray countered that no evidence had emerged to prosecute anyone, and questioned why Satish Salian did not name any suspects earlier despite having his statement recorded by police on multiple occasions. Senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola, appearing for Thackeray, argued that the plea was politically motivated.
Political Undertones Of The Case
The case has repeatedly surfaced in Maharashtra’s political arena. The BJP, while in opposition, had accused the earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi government of concealing details related to Salian’s death. In December last year, then Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced in the state Assembly that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would probe the matter, following demands from BJP legislators. The High Court’s latest order to bring in the CBI marks a significant escalation, shifting the probe from the state police to a central agency.
With a detailed copy of the High Court’s order still awaited, the CBI is now expected to constitute its investigating team and begin a fresh examination of the case. The coming months will likely determine whether the probe substantiates the family’s allegations or reaffirms the police’s original findings, bringing either fresh scrutiny or long-awaited closure to a case that has remained entangled with one of India’s most talked-about celebrity death investigations.
