Aaditya Thackeray responds to Satish Salian's notice, refutes allegation of defamation

Mumbai, September 23, 2026: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has rejected a ₹500-crore defamation notice issued by Satish Salian, the father of former celebrity manager Disha Salian. Thackeray stated that a denial of allegations cannot be considered defamation. In his response, Thackeray refused to apologize, arguing that his posts called for an official investigation into Disha's death in 2020 and did not impede or conclude the investigation.

Satish had previously sent the notice over Thackeray's comments on his efforts to seek a probe into Disha's death. Thackeray denied meeting or knowing Disha and alleged that some individuals had deliberately linked his name to the incident without any evidence or connection. Satish claimed that the comments tarnished his "integrity, credibility, honesty, and bona fides," portraying him as someone abusing the judicial process for an improper, malicious, and politically motivated purpose.

Thackeray's lawyer emphasized that the post did not name Satish and addressed a campaign by some media linking Thackeray to the case without verified evidence. The reply also pointed out that public statements attributed to Satish after his daughter's death and later appeared materially inconsistent.