The Disha Salian case has entered a fresh investigative phase six years after her death. (Img: Dynamite News)
Mumbai: The Disha Salian death case has entered a fresh investigative phase, with the CBI assigning senior officer Seema Pahuja to supervise the probe. The development comes weeks after the Bombay High Court directed the agency to register an FIR and conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death.
Pahuja’s appointment has brought renewed attention to the officer’s investigative record. She has previously handled several high-profile criminal investigations, including the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case and the Hathras rape-murder case. She is currently posted as an SP with the CBI’s Special Crimes Unit at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi.
Seema Pahuja is a senior CBI investigator who has been entrusted with several sensitive and nationally scrutinised criminal cases. Her current assignment places her at the centre of the agency’s fresh investigation into the death of celebrity manager Disha Salian.
According to current reports, Pahuja will supervise a team that includes investigating officer Deputy SP Puran Kumar and other CBI personnel. Investigators are expected to examine the existing case material, revisit the sequence of events and record statements from people considered relevant to the investigation. Reports also state that Pahuja received the CBI’s Gold Medal for Best Investigating Officer in 2021.
Pahuja’s latest assignment follows her involvement in some of the country’s most closely watched criminal investigations. She worked on the 2024 RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder investigation in Kolkata, a case that triggered widespread public protests and intense scrutiny of the criminal justice process. She was also associated with the CBI investigation into the 2020 Hathras case.
Her reported investigative portfolio has also included other sensitive cases, including the Unnao rape case and the Gudiya rape-murder case in Himachal Pradesh. The assignment therefore puts an experienced CBI officer in charge of a case involving disputed investigative findings, serious criminal allegations and substantial public attention.
Disha Salian died in Mumbai in June 2020 after falling from a high-rise building. She was a celebrity manager and had been associated professionally with actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The circumstances surrounding her death have remained the subject of competing claims. The earlier Mumbai Police inquiry did not establish the criminal allegations now being examined by the CBI.
Disha’s father, Satish Salian, subsequently approached the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh investigation, alleging that his daughter had been raped and murdered and that evidence had been suppressed.
The Bombay High Court, while directing a CBI investigation on September 2, said the earlier police investigation raised questions and required a substantive investigation into the circumstances surrounding Salian’s death. The court also made clear that no individual should be treated as an accused unless the investigation produces sufficient grounds for reasonable suspicion.
The CBI has now registered an FIR following the High Court’s direction and a fresh statement recorded from Disha Salian’s father. The FIR invokes serious alleged offences, including gang rape, murder, disappearance or destruction of evidence and alleged misconduct involving public servants and official records. The allegations are now subject to investigation and have not been judicially established.
The FIR also raises allegations concerning the possible suppression or fabrication of official records and the alleged use of public machinery to shield those responsible.
A crucial legal distinction remains: the registration of an FIR and the appearance of a person’s name in investigative material do not by themselves establish guilt or make that person an accused. The High Court specifically directed that individuals should be treated as accused only if the investigation produces sufficient material to justify such a step.
The renewed investigation has also acquired a political dimension because the FIR and related reporting refer to several prominent political figures and public personalities.
Reports have identified names including Aaditya Thackeray among individuals whose roles are to be examined. The inclusion of a name in an FIR or investigative record is not equivalent to a finding of criminal liability, and the CBI is required to establish any individual’s role through evidence.
Political reactions have already emerged around the case, with opposition voices questioning the circumstances and motivations surrounding the renewed investigation. Those claims remain political allegations and should be distinguished from findings that may emerge from the CBI investigation.
One of the immediate investigative tasks is expected to involve reconstructing the sequence of events surrounding the night of Salian’s death. According to current reports, the CBI team is expected to record statements from people who attended a gathering at the residence of Salian’s fiancé, Rohan Roy, before her death.
Investigators are also expected to examine documentary records, forensic material, police files and other evidence relevant to the chronology of events. The investigation will have to determine whether the available evidence supports the allegations contained in the FIR or whether the evidence points towards a different conclusion.
The biggest investigative challenge is the passage of time. Salian died in 2020, meaning investigators are now reconstructing events several years after the original inquiry.
Witness recollections, documentary records, digital evidence, forensic material and the preservation of original case documents could all become significant components of the fresh investigation.
The Bombay High Court itself noted concerns surrounding the length and scope of the earlier investigation and directed the CBI to conduct a substantive probe into all aspects surrounding the circumstances of Salian’s death.
Pahuja’s appointment gives the fresh probe an experienced investigative lead at a time when the case has moved from years of public speculation into a formal CBI investigation. Her previous assignments in cases such as RG Kar and Hathras have placed her in investigations involving contested evidence, multiple stakeholders and intense public scrutiny.
The Disha Salian case presents a different factual record, but it similarly requires investigators to establish a chronology from evidence rather than relying on public narratives.
The CBI’s findings will ultimately depend on the evidence gathered during the investigation, including witness statements, forensic material, documentary records and any other admissible evidence. The appointment of Seema Pahuja marks a significant new phase in a case that has remained under public scrutiny since 2020.
