The death of celebrity manager in June 2020 has returned to the spotlight after a fresh investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation () and new claims by advocate Nilesh Ojha, who represents her father, Satish Salian.
Salian died after falling from the 12th floor of a building in Mumbai’s Malad area on June 9, 2020. Mumbai Police initially registered an accidental death report and later concluded that she had died by suicide. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Maharashtra government in December 2023 also found no foul play.
The case was revisited after the ordered a fresh CBI investigation following a petition filed by Satish Salian.
Salian, 28, worked as a celebrity manager and had briefly represented actor .
She died on the intervening night of June 8 and 9, 2020, after falling from a high-rise building in Malad.
According to the initial police investigation, Salian had been drinking with friends before her death and fell from the building. Police later concluded that the death was a suicide.
The state government’s SIT, set up in 2023, also found no evidence of foul play.
Salian’s father has consistently rejected the conclusion that his daughter died by suicide or accidentally. He approached the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh investigation, BBC reported.
The court subsequently directed the CBI to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
In its order, the Bombay High Court said there were “too many glaring discrepancies” in the police investigation.
The judges also said “the investigation carried out by the police raises more questions than it answers”.
The court pointed to issues including delays in police paperwork, the absence of blood at the location where the body had fallen and questions about whether the injuries recorded in the post-mortem report were consistent with a fall.
“We find this difficult to accept,” the judges wrote.
The court also questioned why police had investigated the matter as a suspicious or unnatural death without registering an FIR at the time.
Satish Salian has alleged that his daughter’s death was connected to information she had allegedly obtained about powerful individuals, BBC reported.
His allegations include claims of sexual assault, murder, suppression of evidence and an attempt to portray the death as suicide.
These remain allegations and have not been established by a court.
The CBI investigation is now examining the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death and the allegations contained in the complaint.
Advocate Nilesh Ojha, representing Satish Salian, said on Saturday that new evidence was emerging in the case.
“Regarding this case, all the points we raised are being substantiated as more evidence comes to light. From our allegations of a false cover-up and the state of Disha’s body to the High Court order, the SIT report, and the records currently with the CBI, everything we claimed is being proven true,” Ojha told ANI.
Ojha said he had obtained a report submitted to the Home Ministry concerning the reinstatement of former police officer .
“We have now obtained a new piece of evidence: a report submitted to the Home Ministry. It clearly states that on June 5, 2020, Sachin Vaze was urgently reinstated into service and assigned to the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU),” he said.
He alleged that Vaze’s appointment to the CIU violated applicable regulations.
“The rules required an officer of the rank of Police Inspector (PI) for the CIU, but Sachin Vaze did not meet this criterion; he was of a lower rank, yet he was appointed there in violation of the regulations,” Ojha said.
Ojha further alleged that Vaze’s reinstatement was linked to a wider conspiracy.
“This evidence suggests that Vaze was urgently reinstated to execute a conspiracy that included the murder of Disha and its subsequent cover-up, as well as to facilitate extortion, the drug trade, and other illicit activities,” he said.
Ojha said the details had been submitted to the CBI.
“We have submitted all these details to the CBI today. We have outlined three other important demands to the CBI in today’s letter, as we intend to file a fresh petition in the High Court seeking immediate custodial interrogation of the accused and requesting that the investigation proceed under High Court supervision,” he added.
Salian’s death came less than a week before Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai home on June 14, 2020. Rajput’s death was also investigated as a suicide.
His death later triggered a separate CBI investigation following allegations by his family. The CBI subsequently closed the case, concluding that Rajput died by suicide and that Rhea Chakraborty and her family had no role in his death.
Satish Salian has alleged that the two deaths were connected. According to allegations summarised in the court proceedings, Salian had allegedly shared information with Rajput concerning drug trafficking, child abuse and other unlawful activities.
The complaint alleges that the two intended to make the information public, BBC reported. These claims remain allegations and have not been established as fact.
The CBI investigation will determine whether the allegations made by Salian’s family are supported by evidence and whether further criminal proceedings are warranted.
The Bombay High Court has also made an important distinction: its decision to order a fresh investigation does not amount to a finding of guilt.
The court said registration of an FIR “does not imply any finding of guilt against anyone” and that no person should be treated as an accused unless investigators find “sufficient grounds to raise reasonable suspicion against them”.
For now, the established facts are that Salian died after falling from a building in June 2020, the initial police investigation and subsequent SIT found no foul play, and the Bombay High Court later ordered a fresh CBI investigation. The allegations of murder, sexual assault, conspiracy and a cover-up remain subject to investigation.
