The Bombay High Court (HC) on Wednesday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR and thoroughly probe the circumstances surrounding the death of Disha Salian, the ex-manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Salian was discovered dead on June 8, 2020 in the Malad area of Mumbai, after purportedly falling off the 14th floor of a residential building. Her death occurred days before Rajput was found dead at his residence in Bandra area of the city.

Back then, the Mumbai Police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with Salian’s death.

HC orders cops to hand over case records to Central agency

A bench of the HC, comprising Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale pronounced the verdict while hearing a petition filed by Satish Salian, Disha’s father. He alleged lapses in the probe conducted by Mumbai police into his daughter’s death.

The HC directed the Mumbai Police to hand over all the cases papers, records and relevant documents pertaining to the case to the CBI. The probe agency has also been instructed to record Satish Salian’s statement and appoint a senior officer to monitor the probe.

However, the bench clarified that no person must be treated as an accused unless the investigating officer finds sufficient material against them.

The bench remarked, “In case the investigation reveals that no case is made out, then the CBI shall file the appropriate summary report before the court concerned.”

Furthermore, it said that Satish Salian would have the liberty to challenge such a report if he found the conclusions to be dissatisfactory.

Satish had alleged Disha’s gang-rape, murder

Reacting to the order, lawyer Nilesh Ojha, representing Satish, said the court had specifically directed the CBI to register an FIR and probe the case under the supervision of a senior officer.

He added that action would be taken against anyone if evidence surfaced against them, while underscoring that no person shall be named as an accused in the absence of evidence.

Continuing further, he said that if the CBI submitted a negative report, the family would have the right to file objections and a protest petition.

For the unversed, Salian’s father had knocked on the doors of the HC last year, alleging that his daughter had been gang-raped and murdered. Following an inquiry, the police maintained that her death was a case of suicide.

HC raised questions earlier

During a hearing held earlier, a Division Bench of the HC comprising Justice Bharti Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande had voiced concern over the registration of only an ADR, rather than an FIR, despite the family’s allegations of murder.

It also observed that the copies of the post-mortem report and the ADR allegedly had not been provided to Salian’s kin even five years after her death.