The Bombay High Court on Monday (3 Aug...) questioned the Mumbai Police over why no First Information Report (FIR) was registered after Disha Salian's father alleged that his daughter's death was not a case of suicide but a murder. The court said it wanted to understand what prevented the police from following the legal process when such allegations were made.
A division bench of Justice Bharati H. Dangre and Justice Manjusha A. Deshpande was hearing a petition filed by Satish Salian, who has sought registration of an FIR and a fresh investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Background of the Case
Disha Salian died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a residential building in Mumbai's Malad area. The Mumbai Police conducted an Accidental Death (AD) inquiry and concluded that the death was due to suicide.
In his writ petition, Satish Salian has disputed that conclusion and alleged that the investigation was incomplete. During the hearing, his counsel argued that the family did not receive the post-mortem report for nearly five years and questioned several aspects of the investigation, including the handling of forensic material.
The State, represented by Chief Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray, submitted that both the original inquiry and a subsequent re-inquiry reached the same conclusion that the death was a case of suicide.
Court's Observations
The bench repeatedly asked the State why an FIR was not registered when the petitioner raised suspicion of murder.
Justice Dangre orally observed,
"When somebody is raising a suspicion, what stops you from filing an FIR by following the due procedure?"
The court also questioned why copies of the AD report and post-mortem documents were not supplied to the petitioner's family earlier, observing that such records were "innocuous documents."
The judges directed the petitioner's counsel to prepare a detailed chronology of events and circumstances supporting the allegations so that the State could respond to each contention.
Decision
The Bombay High Court did not pass any final order on the merits of the allegations. It directed the petitioner to file a comprehensive list of dates and relevant events and adjourned the matter for further hearing.
Case Details
Case Title: Satish Salian vs State of Maharashtra
Case Number: WP No. 1612 of 2025
Judge: Justice Bharati H. Dangre and Justice Manjusha A. Deshpande
Decision Date: August 3, 2026
