Maharashtra state on July 2 told the Bombay high court that there was no room for suspicion in the death of Disha Salian, erstwhile manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The 28-year-old manager had jumped to her death from the 12th floor flat in a Malad (Bombay) building on June 8, 2020.
The state is opposing a petition filed by Disha’s father, Satish Salian, seeking justice for his daughter who, he said, was “brutally raped, murdered and subjected to a politically orchestrated cover-up”. He urged for a transfer of probe from a Special Investigation Team, formed by the Bombay police in 2023, to the CBI and registration of an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray.
The state’s reply said, the contentions in Satish Salian’s petition were “baseless and unfounded”. A closure report was filed based on scientific investigation and post-mortem report “that mentions no signs of sexual and/or physical assault and no trace of semen or vaginal rupture”. The reply also detailed the circumstances leading to Disha’s fall from her boyfriend, Rohan Roy’s flat during a party with friends.
Disha’s friends said, she was under “mental stress due to a dispute with her family” and also because “her business deals could not be materialised”. They further said, she was “heavily drunk” before her death, which has been confirmed by the forensic science laboratory. The statements of all her friends, who were present at the party, were “on similar lines,” the state’s reply said, adding, “In the light of these pressing circumstances, Disha out of her own volition jumped off the window… and committed suicide.” Her boyfriend corroborated the story, according to the state reply which also said that no “objectionable or suspicious activities” were noticed in any of the six CCTV cameras of the building.
The reply mentioned that the SIT’s findings were “coherent” with the findings of an earlier investigation officer. The reply also pointed out that Disha’s father and mother had not blamed or suspected anybody for their daughter’s death. They had also not shown distrust about the investigation when it was done, it added.
Aaditya Thackeray filed an intervention application to be heard as he “would be adversely affected by orders that may be passed”. On July 2, the high court adjourned the hearing after two weeks.