MUMBAI: Advocate Nilesh Ojha, representing Disha Salian’s father Satish Salian has said the Bombay high court on Thursday questioned the Mumbai Police over its decision not to register an FIR in the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian, despite her family’s allegations of murder, during the hearing of a petition seeking a fresh investigation into the 2020 case.Ojha said, a division bench of Justice Bharti Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande sought an explanation from the police on why only an Accidental Death Report (ADR) was registered when Disha’s father, Satish Salian, had lodged a complaint alleging gang rape and murder.The court also noted that copies of the post-mortem report and the ADR had not been provided to the family even five years after her death.Aadvocate Nilesh Ojha claimed the court had raised serious concerns over the police investigation.“The court severely reprimanded the police. It clearly stated that the nature of the investigation into the accidental death, regardless of its findings, was not the core issue. When the girl’s father expressed doubts about the police’s version and lodged a complaint alleging gang rape and murder, what prevented the police from registering an FIR and conducting an investigation? Why was this not done? The court posed this direct question,” he said.Ojha further alleged that the bench found the police’s theory that Disha died by suicide after falling from the 14th floor inconsistent with the material placed before it.“The court examined the evidence on record. It rejected the police’s claim that she had fallen from the 14th floor and committed suicide, as this theory was inconsistent with the evidence and lacked credibility. The court noted the condition of the body seen in photographs taken during the funeral and observed that it appeared intact despite the alleged fall. We also pointed out that eyewitnesses had stated she had not sustained visible injuries,” he claimed.During the hearing, the bench directed the petitioner to file a chronological list of events and circumstances that, according to the family, disclose a cognisable offence.The respondents, including the Maharashtra government through the Mumbai Police, have been asked to respond to those submissions.Satish Salian has approached the high court seeking a fresh probe into his daughter’s death, alleging foul play and seeking the interrogation of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.The petition challenges the earlier conclusion that Disha Salian’s death was accidental and seeks a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.Earlier, the Mumbai Police told the high court that the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) were consistent with the conclusions of the original investigation, which ruled out foul play in the death of the 28-year-old celebrity manager in 2020.The police, however, said the SIT was continuing to examine all possible angles.(With ANI inputs)
