Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has refused to grant bail to four men serving life imprisonment for their role in the 2011 murder of senior crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey observing that they were ”active participants” of an organised crime syndicate and had participated in a “meticulously planned conspiracy” to eliminate Dey.
Convicts and Court Details
A division bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad rejected the pleas filed by Nilesh Shedge, Sachin Gaikwad, Abhijit Shinde, and Mangesh Aagvane — all convicted by a special MCOCA court in May 2018. The bail applications were rejected on Monday, and the detailed order was made available on Tuesday.
Conspiracy and Murder Details
According to the prosecution, the accused kept a close watch on Dey’s movements from June 8 to June 11, 2011. The murder was allegedly orchestrated by underworld don Chhota Rajan, who instructed his sharpshooter Rohit Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalia to carry out the hit. Kalia, in turn, engaged the four men to assist him.
Incident Description
Dey, 64, was shot dead in Powai by motorcycle-borne assailants. Rajan was reportedly angered by articles Dey had written about his gang in a Mumbai tabloid, and suspected him of siding with a rival syndicate.
Convicts’ Bail Argument
The convicts had sought bail pending appeal, arguing that they had spent nearly 14 years in custody — around 16 years with remission — and that the case was based largely on confessional statements recorded under Section 18 of the MCOC Act.
Prosecution’s Stand
Opposing the plea, Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat submitted that the convicts were sentenced to three life terms under a special law, which, as per the Maharashtra Remission and Commutation Rules, 2010, amounts to 60 years of imprisonment. Hence, they could not claim the benefit of having served half their sentence.
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Court Observations
The court agreed, observing that the evidence — including call data records, hotel registers, recovery of weapons and ammunition from Nainital, and a raincoat used during the crime — clearly established the conspiracy. It added that reappreciation of evidence at the bail stage was not permissible.
Final Verdict on Bail
Finding no grounds to suspend the sentence, the bench rejected all four bail applications.
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