- Rs 500 crore legal notice has been issued against Aaditya Thackeray and Anil Deshmukh
- Satish Salian alleges the leaders tried to portray his pursuit of justice as politically motivated
- The notice demands a public apology from Thackeray and Deshmukh for defamation and false claims against Salian
A Rs 500 crore legal notice has been issued in connection with the Disha Salian death case, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Disha's father, Satish Salian, has sought Rs 500 crore in damages from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP (SP) leader and Maharashtra's former home minister Anil Deshmukh.
The notice alleges that the two leaders attempted to portray Satish Salian's pursuit of justice as "politically motivated".
Disha Salian Death Case
Disha Salian, 28, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a high-rise residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. The police treated the incident as an accidental death and registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Six days later, actor Sushant Singh Rajput died.
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Days later, Disha's father, who first said that he did not suspect a criminal angle, approached the Bombay High Court seeking registration of an FIR and a fresh investigation. The petition sought investigation into allegations involving several individuals, including Aaditya Thackeray, Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi.
Six years later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe.
Rs 500 Crore Defamation Suit
The Rs 500 crore legal notice accuses Aaditya Thackeray of questioning Satish Salian's motives and trying to portray his struggle for justice as "politically motivated, malicious, and actuated by an ulterior object" of damaging his reputation.
"The aforesaid allegations are false, baseless, reckless and grossly defamatory, having been made without any credible material or proof and solely with a view to further your ulterior and improper motives. The said allegations amount to a direct and serious imputation upon the integrity, credibility, honesty and bona fides of my client (Satish Salian), by portraying a bereaved father, who was merely seeking a lawful investigation into the alleged gang rape and murder of his daughter, as a person abusing the judicial process for an improper, malicious and politically motivated purpose," the legal notice reads.
The notice also accuses Thackeray of "falsely representing that the CBI had already investigated the Disha Salian case" and given him a "clean chit".
Thackeray allegedly claimed that Salian was being "used as a tool to harass" him. Anil Deshmukh supported this claim.
According to the notice, on March 23, 2025, Anil Deshmukh stated that the Disha Salian case was a "conspiracy to defame Aaditya Thackeray". This statement allegedly received "widespread publicity" and portrayed Satish Salian as a "dishonest, politically motivated and malicious litigant misusing the criminal justice system".
Demand For Public Apology
Satish Salian has demanded an "unconditional, unequivocal and unqualified written and public apology". The apology needs to be published and broadcast across all major print, TV, and digital media platforms. The video apology must be at least three minutes long and should be posted on the two leaders' official social media accounts.
"Never Met Disha Salian": Aaditya Thackeray
Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday denied any link to Disha Salian, two days after the CBI named him in its FIR in the case.
"I have never met Disha Salian, nor did I have any acquaintance with her," Aaditya Thackeray said in a post on X to "cut through the noise and talk facts, once again". He added, "Linking my name to this tragic case constantly is a deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination by a few individuals with clear political and personal motives, for almost 6 years."
He did not name anyone in this post. However, in the past he has accused the ruling BJP-led alliance of dragging him into the matter. Others named in the FIR have also denied any role.
"Let the official re-investigation proceed without malicious distractions and character assassination for political motives," Aaditya Thackeray added.
The CBI registered the FIR on Monday under sections of law pertaining to murder as well as criminal conspiracy, among others, officials said. The FIR lists Aaditya Thackeray, actors Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi and Rhea Chakraborty, and the doctors and staff concerned with the delayed post-mortem among "people whose roles require investigation".
(With inputs from Ruttik Ganakwar)
