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The Bombay High Court has granted bail to underworld don Chhota Rajan by suspending his life sentence in the 2001 murder case of hotelier Jaya Shetty. However, Rajan will remain in prison as he is still serving a life sentence for the murder of journalist J Dey.
The court’s decision, delivered by Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan, allows Rajan’s life sentence to be suspended pending the outcome of his appeal.
The High Court directed Rajan, who is currently lodged at Tihar jail in Delhi, to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with sureties of the same amount.
Rajan was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court in Mumbai on May 30, alongside three other shooters involved in Shetty’s murder.
It is alleged that Shetty was killed for refusing to pay ransom. He had been provided with security cover by the Mumbai police, but it was withdrawn two months before his murder.
Shetty, the owner of the ‘Golden Crown’ hotel in South Mumbai, was shot dead on May 4, 2001. The key suspect, Ajay Suresh Mohite, was apprehended at the scene with firearms.
Co-accused Kundansingh Rawat was later caught but died before the trial concluded. Mohite was killed in an encounter while on parole after his conviction.
Rajan’s senior advocate, Sudeep Pasbola, argued that there was insufficient evidence for a conviction, stating, “There was no material available on the basis of which the accused could have been convicted.”
However, Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat opposed the bail plea, highlighting that Shetty had reported threats and extortion calls from Rajan before his murder. Gharat noted, “It was after being given police protection that Shetty had been gunned down.”
While Rajan’s bail in the Shetty case marks a significant development, his ongoing life sentence in the J Dey murder case prevents his immediate release from Tihar jail.