A fresh legal battle has erupted around the death of Disha Salian, the former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Her father, Satish Salian, has sent a ₹500 crore defamation notice to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, demanding compensation, retraction of statements and a public apology. The two have reportedly been given seven days to respond.
According to the notice, Satish Salian objected to statements allegedly portraying his pursuit of a fresh investigation into his daughter’s death as politically motivated.
The notice also challenges claims that the CBI had already investigated the matter and given Thackeray a “clean chit”.
It alleges that statements by Thackeray and Deshmukh questioned Satish Salian’s motives and portrayed his legal efforts as an attempt to target Thackeray. The notice calls those allegations false and defamatory and seeks a public apology along with ₹500 crore in damages.
Thackeray has denied having any connection with Disha Salian.
In a statement posted on X, he said he had never met or been acquainted with her, and alleged that his name had been linked to the case for years for political reasons and character assassination.
That denial came shortly before Satish Salian issued the defamation notice.
Disha Salian, 28, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a high-rise building in Mumbai's Malad area.
Police initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).
Six days later, Sushant Singh Rajput died.
The two deaths subsequently became linked in public debate, although the circumstances surrounding each case have been investigated separately.
Satish Salian later approached the Bombay High Court seeking an FIR and a fresh investigation into his daughter’s death.
The latest development came after the Bombay High Court directed an investigation, following which the CBI registered an FIR in September 2026.
Aaditya Thackeray is among the names mentioned in the FIR. However, being named in an FIR does not by itself establish guilt; the investigation is still underway.
The development has also triggered a political clash, with opposition leaders alleging political vendetta, while Maharashtra government figures have said the investigation is proceeding under court directions. Those are competing political claims, not established findings of the investigation.
Satish Salian's notice demands:
₹500 crore in damages
Withdrawal of the statements he says are defamatory
An unconditional public apology
Publication of the apology across major media platforms
A video apology on the leaders' social media accounts
The notice gives Thackeray and Deshmukh seven days to comply.
For now, the bigger story is not a verdict — there isn't one yet.
It is a legal notice, a fresh CBI investigation and a political battle around a case that has remained in the public eye since 2020.
The investigation will now determine what the evidence actually establishes.
