The Bombay High Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against advocate Nilesh Ojha for making “scandalous and defamatory” remarks against a sitting judge during a press conference related to the Disha Salian death case.
Ojha, who represents Satish Salian—the father of the late Disha Salian—had addressed the media on April 1. Satish Salian has filed a petition in the High Court seeking an investigation into his daughter’s death.
A larger bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justices A.S. Chandurkar, M.S. Sonak, Ravindra Ghuge, and A.S. Gadkari observed that Ojha’s statements targeted both a sitting judge and a former Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, calling them “scandalous and defamatory.”
“The statements prima facie constitute criminal contempt. We direct registry to issue notice to Ojha,” the court stated, posting the matter for further hearing on April 29, reported PTI.
The court also directed YouTube and a Marathi news channel to forthwith remove the video of the press conference and also restrained them from uploading it in future.
Disha Salian, the former manager of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was found dead in his Bandra home on June 14, 2020. He was 34 years old. The cause of his death was ruled a suicide, with reports saying he died of asphyxia by hanging.
Last month, Satish Salian moved the HC, seeking a fresh probe into the mysterious circumstances under which his daughter was found dead.
The petition urged the HC to order the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and transfer of the probe to the CBI, Satish said.
The plea alleged that Disha Salian was brutally raped and murdered, and subsequently there was a politically-orchestrated cover-up to protect certain influential persons.
In a press conference held on April 1, Salian`s lawyer, Nilesh Ojha, levelled allegations of corruption against the sitting judge of HC before whom the plea was listed for hearing on April 2.
The high court on April 2 stated that the plea pertains to the assignment of the bench headed by Justice Sarang Kotwal and ordered the HC`s registry to take steps to place the matter before that bench.
(With PTI inputs)
