Why have Sooraj Pancholi, Rhea, Dino Morea been named in Disha Salian CBI FIR?

Actors Sooraj Pancholi, Rhea Chakraborty and Dino Morea have surfaced in the fresh CBI FIR linked to celebrity manager Disha Salian's death. While neither Chakraborty nor Morea has issued a statement following the development, Pancholi distanced himself from the case in a social media note on Tuesday.But why have these celebrities been named in the case? And does being named in the FIR mean they are being accused of any crime?The answer is more nuanced than it may initially appear, and understanding it adds an important layer to a case that dates back six years.As India Today reported earlier, the CBI FIR names three actors, politicians, police officials, hospital staff and several others whose roles are to be examined as part of the investigation. However, none of them has been named as an accused at this stage. The FIR copy also does not contain a separate section listing accused persons or unidentified or unknown accused. This means that while Pancholi, Chakraborty and Morea are named in the FIR, none of them has been identified as an accused in the case or as someone directly responsible for Salian's death. Why do their names appear in the FIR?The names appear because they were mentioned in the complaint submitted by Salian's father, Satish Salian.In a subsequent statement, Salian's lawyer, advocate Nilesh Ojha, alleged that Disha's death was the result of a "deep-rooted conspiracy involving powerful people" and claimed that she was subjected to brutal sexual assault and murdered. As reported by India Today, the CBI decided to open the case on the basis of the complaint and statement of Salian's father, who alleged that his daughter had been gang-raped and murdered and that there had been a cover-up.The CBI registered the FIR after the Bombay High Court directed the agency to investigate Satish Salian's complaint. The agency will now examine the allegations and determine, based on the evidence that emerges during the investigation, whether any individual needs to be shown as an accused later.At present, however, the FIR does not name any accused. A CBI official has also confirmed that names would be added as accused only if their involvement is established during the probe.What did Disha Salian's lawyer say?An earlier ANI report quoted Ojha explaining the sections under which the FIR was registered. He said the CBI had registered the case after conducting a preliminary verification of Satish Salian's complaint and the statement recorded by the agency."The CBI registered an FIR yesterday after preliminary verification of the complaint of Disha Salian's father, Satish Salian, and the statement recorded by the CBI. That FIR is for gang rape, murder, and a cover-up of this crime. This FIR has been registered under the main offences: Sections 376D, 302, 201, 217, 218, read with 120B of the IPC," he said.Ojha also listed several names mentioned in the FIR, making it clear that the three actors are not the only prominent individuals whose names have surfaced."The names involved in the FIR are Aaditya Thackeray, then Dino Morea, Sooraj Pancholi, Aaditya Thackeray's bodyguard, Rohan Roy, Rhea Chakraborty, Param Bir Singh, then DCP Vishal Thakur, and the police officer who made false records, the PI of Malwani police station, and members of the SIT. Then the doctor Sanjay Yadav, who made a false post-mortem report. Then the chemical analyst of the forensic lab who changed the report of gang rape," he said.These are allegations made by Ojha and are now part of the material that the CBI will examine as part of its investigation. The FIR itself does not establish the guilt or criminal involvement of any of the people named in it.So, what happens next?The investigation will now determine whether the people named in the FIR have any connection to the alleged offences and whether there is evidence against them.Former CBI officials, speaking to India Today about how the agency typically handles such cases, said matters transferred to the CBI are often those that have first been examined by state or local police before being handed over on the directions of the state government, the Centre or a court.Once an FIR is registered and an investigation begins, subsequent findings can lead to changes in the case records, including the identification of people who may be treated as accused or otherwise found to have a role in the alleged crime.That is why the names in the FIR are significant, but their presence in the document does not, by itself, establish their involvement.The CBI is expected to examine officials who previously investigated the case, including personnel from the Malvani police station, as well as first responders and other people who were present at the flat on the day Salian died. The probe could widen depending on the evidence and developments that emerge during the investigation. Current reporting also indicates that investigators are expected to scrutinise earlier police records, forensic and autopsy material and statements from key witnesses.Background to the fresh probeDisha Salian, 28, died after falling from a high-rise building in Mumbai's Malad area on June 8, 2020. Her death came days before actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai apartment on June 14.Mumbai Police had treated Salian's death as a suicide, while a Maharashtra SIT later found no foul play.The case was revived six years later after Satish Salian approached the Bombay High Court, alleging that his daughter had been raped and murdered and that evidence had been suppressed. On September 2 this year, the High Court directed the CBI to register an FIR and conduct a fresh probe, citing discrepancies in the earlier investigation. The agency registered the FIR on September 13 based on Satish Salian's complaint.Who is overseeing the CBI probe?Decorated CBI officer Seema Pahuja is overseeing the fresh investigation into Salian's death.Pahuja, 59, is posted as an SP with the CBI's Special Crime Unit in Delhi. She has handled several high-profile cases, including the 2020 Hathras rape-murder case, the 2017 Unnao rape case, the 2024 rape and murder case of a trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata, and the 2017 Gudiya rape-murder case in Shimla. She received the gold medal for Best Investigating Officer in 2021.The CBI's immediate task will be to examine the allegations, revisit the earlier investigation and assess the evidence before deciding whether anyone named in the FIR should be formally treated as an accused.- Ends(With inputs from Divyesh Singh, ANI)Published By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Sep 16, 2026 16:05 IST