Bombay High Court Challenges Police Inaction in Disha Salian Death Investigation

Judicial Scrutiny of Mumbai Police Procedures

The Bombay High Court has demanded an explanation from law enforcement regarding the 2020 death of Disha Salian, former manager to actor Sushant Singh Rajput. During a hearing on August 3, 2026, a division bench comprising Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande focused on the police's refusal to file a First Information Report (FIR). The court expressed concern over the State's failure to provide accidental death and post-mortem reports to the family for half a decade.

Discrepancies in Forensic Findings

Satish Salian, the petitioner and father of the deceased, is challenging the official police finding of suicide. His legal counsel, Advocate Nilesh Ojha, presented several irregularities to the bench. Evidence submitted included a report from private forensic experts suggesting the physical evidence did not align with a fall from a 14th-floor height. Specifically, the body was discovered 10 feet away from the building's base rather than directly below, and it lacked the expected injury patterns for such a descent. Furthermore, the petitioner alleged that investigators only allowed him to view a photograph of his daughter rather than the body itself, and that photographs of bloodstains at the scene appeared to be digitally altered.

State Defense and Case Timeline

Chief Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray maintained the State's position, citing a gathering on June 8, 2020, as the precursor to the incident. According to the State, witness statements from friends present at the scene consistently pointed toward suicide. Although a second inquiry was launched following public outcry, officials reached the same conclusion. However, the court noted a significant timing discrepancy: while Sushant Singh Rajput received an autopsy within 24 hours of his death, Salian’s post-mortem was delayed by three days.