Mumbai, Sep 19: Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, on Saturday slapped a Rs 500 defamation notice to Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray outside the latter’s Matoshree residence, over remarks made against the former as he is pursuing a fresh probe into his daughter’s death case.

Satish Salian and his lawyer Nilesh Ojha were not allowed to enter the Shiv Sena-UBT leader’s residence, so the notice was accepted by Thackeray’s advocate outside the building.

Speaking to reporters after serving the notice, Ojha claimed: “They (ShivSena-UBT members) had threatened us, saying they would not let us practice. So we came here (Matoshree) to show that we can serve a legal notice right at your home. Call as many goons as you want, let’s see what you do.”

Responding to Aaditya Thackeray’s allegations, Satish Salian’s lawyer said: “We have nothing to do with any politics. Now that the notice has been served, answer it…nobody could do a thing to us.”

The defamation notice concerns alleged false, malicious, and defamatory posts published by Aaditya Thackeray on his official X account on September 16 in English and Marathi. It accuses him of making allegations against Satish Salian regarding political motives and personal enmity in connection with the proceedings and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the death of his daughter Disha Salian. The notice seeks an additional Rs 500 crore as compensation and damages.

Earlier on Saturday, Satish Salian said he was not afraid of “any Shiv Sainik”.

“They are human beings and I am human too. I am from Mumbai, so I have no reason to fear anyone,” he told media.

Meanwhile, his lawyer Nilesh Ojha had previously said that Satish Salian has written to the CBI, which is currently probing the case, requesting immediate police protection.

“Satish Salian wrote a letter to the CBI requesting immediate police protection for four people: Satish Salian, myself, former Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, and Ashutosh Pathak. He requested the CBI to take swift steps to provide us with police security,” he told media.

Ojha also said: “The Narcotics Control Bureau report states that Aaditya Thackeray is involved in the drug business. There are CCTV footages, eyewitness testimonies, and allegations of rape and murder against him. We are stating all this openly. Don’t you have legal provisions if this is false?”

“Once they (Thackeray) did approach court (against the allegations) but they had to apologise because their affidavit turned out to be false. What anyone says doesn’t affect us. Let them do whatever they want; we are following our legal path,” he added.

Mumbai, Sep 19: Disha Salian’s father, Satish Salian, on Saturday said he was not afraid of anyone ahead of his planned visit to Matoshree to serve a defamation notice on Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Aaditya Thackeray.

Speaking to media, Satish Salian said, “I am not afraid of any Shiv Sainik. They are human beings and I am human too. I am from Mumbai, so I have no reason to fear anyone.”

Asked about the ongoing CBI investigation into the Disha Salian case, he said, “Yes, it is proceeding in the right direction.”

When asked how he viewed the progress of the case and what new developments he expected, Satish Salian said, “Justice will be delivered 100 per cent. Whoever is guilty will be punished.”

Six years after Disha Salian’s death, her father is set to personally serve a fresh defamation notice on Aaditya Thackeray at his Matoshree residence on Saturday, September 19, according to a report by Mid-Day.

Salian and his lawyers are expected to arrive at 4 p.m., the report said, adding that he has informed the Mumbai Police and the media about the visit through a press release.

Salian has sought police security for the visit, citing fears of obstruction or intimidation while serving the notice, the report noted.

The move comes days after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into Disha Salian’s death and directed the agency to register an FIR. The order followed a fresh statement from her father. The court also made it clear that no one should be treated as an accused unless sufficient material emerges during the investigation.

The fresh notice concerns social media posts by Aaditya Thackeray and is being pursued separately from the criminal case, according to the report.

Salian has reportedly sought Rs 500 crore in damages from Thackeray and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh over their remarks concerning his pursuit of a fresh investigation into his daughter’s death.

The notice seeks both compensation and an apology.

Disha Salian, a former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died on June 8, 2020, after falling from a high-rise residential building in Mumbai’s Malad area. The police had treated the incident as an accidental death and registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Six days later, Sushant Singh Rajput also died.

Mumbai, Sep 19: Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the introduction of a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI transactions, alleging that the move would ultimately burden consumers and benefit global payment giants.

In an editorial published in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party described the levy of a 0.4 per cent fee on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 as a “semantic cover-up”, rejecting the government’s contention that the charge applies only to merchants and not directly to consumers.

The editorial pointed out that, like fuel excise duties and GST, merchants will ultimately pass these costs onto everyday buyers. It alleged that Indian digital transaction infrastructure is being handed over to global US financial giants like Visa and Mastercard. It labelled the transaction fee as an indirect “tribute” or extortion paid to strengthen the US economy at the expense of India’s middle class and retail traders.

Linking the domestic policy shift to foreign relations, the Thackeray faction claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly yielded to US pressure. It cited instances such as halting oil purchases from Iran, navigating US trade tariffs, and conceding to diplomatic demands from the Trump administration as evidence of a compromised foreign policy stance.

“The decision to impose a 0.4 per cent fee on UPI transactions was taken solely to flatter U.S. fintech companies. An investigation must be conducted to uncover how many thousands of crores in brokerage Indian leaders and their children will receive daily from these companies. This implies that Indian brokers must have a share in the extortion received by the U.S. — this is the new form of national service! For this, common citizens and small retailers of the country have been sacrificed,” said the editorial.

Calling the image of Vishwaguru fragile and artificial, the editorial slammed pro-government narratives that celebrated foreign adoption of UPI in countries like Singapore, the UAE, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka, contrasting those celebrations with the reality of domestic fee hikes.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena highlighted that while the government boasts of promoting a cashless, digital economy, it is systematically draining the middle and working classes through demonetization, GST implementation, inflation, and now transaction tariffs. It added that under the guise of digital transformation, thousands of crores will be extracted from citizens to serve corporate and foreign intermediaries.