The Disha Salian death case has taken another turn, with her father Satish Salian sending a ₹500 crore defamation notice to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

The notice, issued days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR in the case, seeks compensation, withdrawal of the statements objected to by Salian and a public apology from both leaders. They have been given seven days to comply with the demands.

The development comes after Thackeray publicly denied having any association with Disha Salian and described attempts to link his name to her death as an “evidence-free” campaign.

What Satish Salian's ₹500 crore notice says

According to the legal notice, Satish Salian has objected to statements allegedly made by Thackeray and Deshmukh that, he claims, portrayed his legal efforts as politically motivated.

The notice alleges that Thackeray questioned the purpose behind Salian's pursuit of a fresh investigation and sought to portray it as an attempt driven by political or personal motives.

It further accuses Thackeray of claiming that the CBI had already investigated the Disha Salian case and had given him a “clean chit”. The notice disputes that representation and says it was used to argue against Salian's demand for an independent investigation.

The notice also refers to an alleged statement by Thackeray that Salian was being “used as a tool to harass” him. It claims Deshmukh supported the same contention.

What Anil Deshmukh allegedly said

The notice refers to a statement attributed to Anil Deshmukh on March 23, 2025, in which he allegedly described the Disha Salian case as a “conspiracy to defame Aaditya Thackeray”.

Satish Salian's notice claims the statement received widespread publicity and damaged his reputation by presenting him as a politically motivated litigant misusing the criminal justice system.

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The notice demands that both leaders withdraw the statements and issue an unconditional public apology.

Salian has also sought that the apology be carried by major print, television and digital media platforms. The notice reportedly calls for a video apology of at least three minutes to be published on the official social media accounts of both leaders.

Aaditya Thackeray denies knowing Disha Salian

The legal notice comes shortly after Aaditya Thackeray responded publicly to the renewed focus on the case.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Thackeray said he had never met Disha Salian and had no acquaintance with her.

He alleged that repeatedly linking his name to the case was an “evidence-free” attempt at character assassination driven by political and personal motives.

Thackeray did not name anyone in the post. He has previously alleged that the ruling BJP-led alliance was dragging his name into the matter.

He also called for the official investigation to proceed without what he described as political distractions and character assassination.

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What is the Disha Salian death case?

Disha Salian, who had worked as Sushant Singh Rajput's manager, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a high-rise residential building in Mumbai's Malad area.

Police initially treated her death as an accidental death and registered an Accidental Death Report.

Sushant Singh Rajput died six days later.

Salian's father initially said he did not suspect a criminal angle. He later approached the Bombay High Court seeking registration of an FIR and a fresh investigation into his daughter's death.

His petition raised allegations involving several people, including Aaditya Thackeray, Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi.

CBI registers fresh FIR

The case returned to the spotlight after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to take over the investigation. The agency subsequently registered an FIR concerning Salian's death.

The FIR mentions Aaditya Thackeray, Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi, Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection with matters whose roles are to be investigated. The FIR itself does not designate those individuals as accused at this stage, with the CBI stating that their involvement would have to be established through the investigation.

With IANS inputs