Disha Salian's father to serve defamation notice at Aaditya Thackeray's home

Satish Salian, the father of Disha Salian, has said he will visit the Mumbai residence of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray to serve a legal notice over what he described as defamation.

He said he and his lawyer were scheduled to arrive at 4 pm. "We intend to show them the power of the common man and demonstrate what we are capable of," he said, adding that the notice concerns defamation committed against him. Whether the notice is accepted, he said, is up to the recipient; if it is not, he would pursue the matter through court later.

Salian also said his lawyer was being threatened and told he could not practise law.

The planned visit comes amid a fresh Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death of Disha Salian, who worked as actor Sushant Singh Rajput's manager. She died in Mumbai in June 2020 after falling from a building, and the case was initially recorded as an accidental death. The Bombay High Court has since directed a fresh CBI investigation.

On September 14, the CBI registered an FIR in the case. Advocate Nilesh Ojha, representing Satish Salian, said the FIR names Aaditya Thackeray, Rohan Roy, Rhea Chakraborty, Param Bir Singh, Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi, then DCP Vishal Thakur, the station house officer of Malwani police station, members of the SIT, a doctor and a chemical analyst.

Thackeray has denied any connection to Disha Salian. In a post on X, he said he had "never met" her and described the repeated linking of his name to the case as an "evidence-free" attempt at character assassination. He said the fresh investigation should proceed without political distractions.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve questioned the manner in which the notice was being served, calling it a "publicity stunt". He said serving a notice is the duty of the court registrar, not of a lawyer or complainant.