Satish Salian, father of late celebrity manager Disha Salian, on Thursday issued a legal notice worth over Rs 500 crore to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and Maharashtra’s former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, accusing them of portraying his pursuit of justice for his daughter as politically motivated. 

The notice has sought Rs 500 crore in damages and demands an unconditional public apology from both leaders. They have reportedly been given seven days to comply with the demands. The development emerges amid a fresh CBI-led probe ordered into Disha’s death by the Bombay High Court (HC). The agency has registered an FIR in connection with the case. 

Thackeray has denied knowing or ever meeting Salian and refused attempts to link him to her death. 

Contents of the legal notice

As per the notice, Satish Salian has objected to statements allegedly made by Thackeray questioning his motives and suggesting that his efforts to seek a fresh probe were politically motivated. 

The notice terms such allegations ‘false, baseless and defamatory,’ claiming that they sought to undermine the credibility of a bereaved father pursuing legal recourse over his daughter’s death. It further alleged that Thackeray falsely portrayed that the CBI had already probed the case and had given him a ‘clean chit.’ The notice also referred to comments attributed to Deshmukh, who called the case a ‘conspiracy to defame Aaditya Thackeray.’

Demands raised for public apology

Apart from the Rs 500 crore compensation, Salian has voiced demands for an’unconditional unequivocal and unqualified’ written and public apology. The notice has sought publication and broadcast of the apology across major print, television and digital media platforms. It further demands a video apology of at least three minutes on the official social media accounts of both the leaders. 

What was the Disha Salian death case?

Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after allegedly falling from a high-rise residential building situated in Mumbai’s Malad area. Police initially treated the incident as an accidental death and subsequently registered an accidental death report. 

Bollywood’s late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, for whom Salian had worked as a manager, died six days later. Salian’s father subsequently knocked on the doors of the Bombay HC seeking an FIR and a fresh probe. 

Following directives from the HC, the CBI has now registered an FIR under provisions linked to murder and criminal conspiracy, besides other sections. The FIR lists Thackeray, actors Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi and Rhea Chakraborty, along with other doctors and staff associated  with the delayed post-mortem. However, as per the HC’s directives, being named in an FIR does not by itself establish criminal wrongdoing or guilt.