MUMBAI — The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a formal case and investigate the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian. The court observed that the investigation conducted so far by the Mumbai Police had "too many glaring discrepancies" and raised more questions than it answered.
A division bench of Justice Sarang V. Kotwal and Justice Ranjitsinha R. Bhonsale ruled that the earlier inquiry was "inadequate and insufficient." The judges directed the Mumbai Police to immediately hand over all case files, papers, and evidence to the central agency.
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The order came on a petition filed by Disha’s father, Satish Salian, who approached the court alleging a cover-up in the investigation and seeking a thorough probe into his daughter’s death.
Key Gaps Flagged by the Court
The High Court pointed out several unresolved issues in the way the local police handled the case:
- Unexplained Delays: The crime scene inspection (spot panchanama) was carried out more than nine hours after the incident took place, with no clear reason given for the long delay.
- Unrecorded Police Actions: Police personnel were present at the building shortly after the fall, but official records failed to explain what they did or why they were there.
- Conflicting Statements: The court noticed clear timing mismatches in the official records regarding when Satish Salian’s initial statements were taken.
- Medical and Forensic Questions: The injuries listed in the post-mortem report required clear expert opinions. In addition, forensic chemical reports showed an unusually low amount of blood on the items gathered from the spot.
- Years Without an FIR: The court noted that the police conducted an inquiry under Section 174 of the CrPC for nearly six years across two stages. The bench stated that such routine inquiries are never meant to drag on for such an unusually long time without filing a regular First Information Report (FIR).
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Directions Given to the CBI
The High Court laid down clear instructions for how the federal agency must conduct its inquiry:
- Register a Fresh FIR: The CBI must appoint an investigating officer, register an FIR under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and record the father's statement.
- Protection Against Unfair Accusations: The court made it clear that no person should be treated as an accused unless the investigating officer finds solid proof and reasonable suspicion against them.
- Legal Remedies: If the CBI finds no evidence of a crime after completing its investigation, it must file a closure report before the court. In that scenario, Satish Salian will have the legal right to file a protest petition to challenge the closure.
Case Background
Disha Salian, 28, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from the 14th floor of a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. Her death occurred six days before actor Sushant Singh Rajput, whom she had briefly managed, was found dead in his Bandra apartment.
While the Mumbai Police previously concluded that Salian died by suicide, her father approached the High Court stating that the police had overlooked vital evidence and failed to carry out a fair inquiry.
