Indian gangster Rajendra Nikalje, widely known as Chhota Rajan.
The Bombay High Court has suspended the life sentence of notorious gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty, granting him bail in the case. However, Rajan will remain in custody due to other pending criminal cases against him.
On Wednesday, a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan ordered Rajan to provide a bond of ₹1 lakh to secure his bail. This decision comes after a special court had previously convicted him in May and sentenced him to life imprisonment for Shetty’s murder.
Background of the Case
Jaya Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown hotel in central Mumbai, was shot dead on May 4, 2001, by two alleged members of Rajan’s gang. Investigations revealed that Shetty had received extortion calls from Hemant Pujari, a gang member, and was killed for failing to meet the demands.
Rajan is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of veteran crime reporter J Dey and is incarcerated at Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Acquittal in Another High-Profile Case
In a separate development, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court recently acquitted Rajan of orchestrating the murder of prominent trade union leader Dr. Datta Samant, who was shot dead in 1997. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to establish Rajan’s involvement in the conspiracy.
Dr. Samant was assassinated by four assailants while traveling in his jeep, and although three individuals were convicted in 2000, Rajan was named as a wanted suspect. He was arrested in 2015 in Indonesia and later extradited to Mumbai, where all his pending cases were handed over to the CBI.
Future Implications
While the suspension of his life sentence in the Shetty case is a significant legal victory for Chhota Rajan, the gangster remains entangled in multiple other cases, keeping him in custody. The developments in this high-profile case continue to attract public attention, highlighting the ongoing challenges in addressing organized crime in India.
