Jiah Khan's mother warns CBI after Sooraj Pancholi's name surfaces in Disha FIR

The late actor Jiah Khan's mother, Rabya Khan, has warned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against repeating what she described as investigative failures in her daughter's case, after actor Sooraj Pancholi's name surfaced in the agency's FIR in the Disha Salian death case. Questioning whether the truth can be uncovered nearly six years after Salian's death, Rabya stressed that critical forensic evidence must be preserved and examined before it is lost.

Her comments came after the CBI registered an FIR following a Bombay High Court order to begin a fresh probe into the June 2020 death of the celebrity manager. The FIR, as per the court's directions, does not name any individual as an accused, but lists several people, including Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, Pancholi, Rhea Chakraborty, Dino Morea and Salian's former partner Rohan Roy, whose roles may require examination.

Pancholi, who was acquitted by a special CBI court in the Jiah Khan suicide case, has since clarified that he did not know Salian in any capacity.

In a note posted on her Instagram Stories, Rabya Khan drew direct parallels to her own long-running legal fight, alleging that authorities risk repeating past investigative failures. "When I hear that the same names have surfaced in another young #DishaSalian murder six years ago, it deeply saddens me and this must alarm everyone (sic)," she wrote.

Warning that fresh probes face a heavy handicap when critical material has been lost or destroyed over time, Khan urged law enforcement to preserve every remaining piece of forensic data. "They are repeating the same method: of justice due to lack of evidence and calling it an abetment to suicide... They are implementing similar method as in Jiah's case (sic)," she added, emphasising that "Disha deserves the truth, just as Jiah did."

Pancholi was arrested in June 2013 following the death of actor Jiah Khan, who was found dead at her Mumbai residence on 3 June 2013. Jiah’s family recovered a six-page note alleging physical and emotional abuse, leading the Mumbai Police — and later the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) — to charge Pancholi with abetment to suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

Rabya Khan, contested the suicide ruling, alleging foul play and seeking murder charges. After a decade-long trial, a special CBI court acquitted Pancholi in April 2023, citing a lack of concrete evidence to prove he drove Jiah to take her own life.

Jiah made her Hindi film debut in director Ram Gopal Varma's 2007 film Nishabd, opposite actor Amitabh Bachchan. She also featured in actor Akshay Kumar's 2007 comedy, Housefull and director AR Murugadoss's Ghajini (2008), featuring actors Aamir Khan and Asin.

Disha Salian was found dead on June 8, 2020, days before the actor and her former client, Sushant Singh Rajput, was found dead at his Mumbai residence. Her death was initially recorded as an Accidental Death Report (ADR) by local police. The latest FIR, registered following a petition by Salian’s father Satish Salian, also names several officials and investigators, with the CBI now proceeding to examine all recorded evidence.