Satish Salian, father of former celebrity manager Disha Salian, has sent a Rs 500-crore defamation notice to Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray for making remarks against him amid his pursuit of a fresh probe into his daughter’s death. The notice has also been issued to former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Aaditya Thackeray, who is named in the FIR in the Disha Salian death case, had earlier denied knowing or ever meeting her, and called her father’s demand for a probe “politically motivated”.

The notice states that Satish Salian had filed a petition before the Bombay High Court, seeking a probe into the death of his daughter in 2020. Based on the complaint, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR last week, but did not name anyone as an accused.

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The defamation notice states that by opposing Satish Salian’s petition, Thackeray has questioned his bona fides. The notice further states that Thackeray’s legal representatives have submitted on his behalf that Satish was being ‘used as a tool to harass’ him.

“These allegations are false, baseless, reckless and grossly defamatory, having been made without any credible material or proof and solely with a view to further your ulterior and improper motives,” the notice said, adding that he was merely seeking a lawful investigation into his daughter’s death.

Earlier on Wednesday, Thackeray, in a post on X, said that linking his name to the Disha Salian death case was a ‘deliberate, evidence-free attempt at character assassination.’

“I have never met Disha Salian, nor did I have any acquaintance with her. For political motives, out of personal enmity, with the intent of character assassination, for the past 6 years, some people have been deliberately trying to link my name to this unfortunate incident repeatedly, despite there being no evidence or connection whatsoever,” he said.

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He said, “This constant false campaign, devoid of any facts or truth, is unfortunate. Allow the official machinery to conduct this inquiry afresh—without any interference, without political intervention, without character assassination, and impartially.”

Disha died on June 8, 2020, after falling off a residential building in Malad, six days before Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

The CBI registered the FIR on September 14 following the Bombay High Court’s order, directing an investigation into Salian’s death. While directing the probe, the court stated that no person should be treated as an accused unless there was sufficient material to prove it.