Satish Salian, father of the late celebrity manager Disha Salian, has issued a Rs 500 crore defamation notice to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh.
The legal notice follows the Central Bureau of Investigation registering a fresh First Information Report under provisions relating to murder and criminal conspiracy to re-investigate Disha Salian's 2020 death.
What is in the legal notice?
The legal notice was issued by Satish Salian, who alleges that public statements made by key political figures damaged his reputation and integrity.
According to a News18 report, the notice names Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh as recipients.
Additionally, NDTV adds that the underlying CBI probe lists actors Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi and Rhea Chakraborty, along with medical staff associated with the post-mortem, among persons whose roles require investigation.
What triggered the Rs 500 crore legal notice
NDTV reports that the notice accuses Aaditya Thackeray of characterising Satish Salian's court petitions as "politically motivated, malicious, and actuated by an ulterior object" to harm political reputations.
The legal document also cites a statement made by Deshmukh on March 23, 2025, in which he publicly described the case as a "conspiracy to defame Aaditya Thackeray".
Satish Salian contends that these remarks falsely depicted a grieving father seeking a lawful investigation into the alleged gang rape and murder of his daughter as a dishonest litigant misusing the justice system.
The notice also accuses Thackeray of falsely claiming that the CBI had previously examined the case and given him a clean chit.
In addition to Rs 500 crore in damages, the notice seeks an unconditional, unequivocal and unqualified written public apology.
The notice specifies that the apology must be published across major print, television, and digital platforms, alongside a video apology of at least three minutes uploaded to the official social media handles of Thackeray and Deshmukh.
When and Where Did the Underlying Events Take Place?
The 28-year-old Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after allegedly falling from a high-rise residential building in Mumbai's Malad, leading the Mumbai Police to initially register an Accidental Death Report.
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, for whom Disha Salian had worked as a celebrity manager, died six days later on June 14, 2020.
Her father Satish Salian initially did not suspect foul play, but he later petitioned the Bombay High Court seeking an FIR and a fresh investigation into allegations involving gang rape and murder.
How Aaditya Thackeray has responded
Aaditya Thackeray has denied having any connection with Disha Salian or any involvement in the matter.
In a statement published on X, Thackeray stated that he has never met or had any acquaintance with Disha Salian. He described the continuous linking of his name to the case as a deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination driven by personal and political motives over the past six years.
Thackeray called for the official re-investigation to proceed on facts without malicious political distractions.
