Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has said he has never met or known Disha Salian, as the former celebrity manager's death case returns to the spotlight following a fresh investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. Mumbai Police had initially registered an Accidental Death Report in the case.
The Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into her death on September 2, 2026, after observing that the Mumbai Police investigation had continued for six years and "raises more questions than answers". The court directed the CBI to register an FIR but specifically said that no person should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material emerges during the investigation. The agency registered the FIR on September 14.
Aaditya Thackeray says he has never known Disha Salian
In a post on X, Thackeray said, "I have never met or known Disha Salian." He alleged that repeatedly linking his name to the case over nearly six years was a deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination by people with what he described as political and personal motives.
He said the "relentless smear campaign" by vested interests, in his view, had continued without any evidence or truth to support it. He also criticised loud television debates and media trials, saying they did not change the facts.
Thackeray called the situation "highly unfortunate" and said the official re-investigation should be allowed to proceed without what he described as malicious distractions and character assassination for political motives.
He further said attempts to use the matter politically would not stop him from standing by what he described as the truth or from fighting for fellow citizens. "We always will, stand by the truth, and fight for it," he wrote.
How Aaditya Thackeray's name got linked to the case
Thackeray's name was brought into the case after Satish Salian, Disha Salian's father, sought a fresh investigation into his daughter's death. In March 2025, he approached the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh probe and the registration of an FIR against Thackeray. He also submitted a complaint to the Mumbai Police seeking action against Thackeray and others.
Satish Salian's petition alleged that his daughter had been raped and murdered and claimed there had been a politically orchestrated cover-up. These were allegations made in his petition and have not been established as facts. Thackeray had said he would respond to the allegations in court.
The issue also surfaced in the Maharashtra legislature in March 2025, when members of the ruling alliance raised the Disha Salian death controversy in the Legislative Council. Shiv Sena (UBT) members objected to the issue being raised in the House.
The matter resurfaced again after the Bombay High Court ordered the CBI investigation in September 2026. Thackeray had then said he had nothing to do with the case and questioned why he should respond to it. BJP leaders Nitesh Rane and Narayan Rane had sought to link his name to the matter.
The CBI's FIR, registered following the High Court's order, does not name anyone as an accused. The court had expressly directed that no person should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material emerges during the investigation. The agency is now examining the circumstances surrounding Salian's death.
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