Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan and suspended his sentence in the 2001 murder of Jaya Shetty, owner of the Golden Crown hotel in south Mumbai. On May 4, 2001, Shetty was shot dead by two unidentified people.
A bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan has directed Rajan, who is currently lodged at Tihar jail in Delhi, to furnish personal bond of Rs1 lakh along with sureties of the same amount.
About Jaya Shetty Murder Case
The Jaya Shetty murder case was among the 71 cases that were handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation after Rajan was deported to India from Indonesia in 2015.
The prosecution alleged that Shetty was killed for allegedly refusing to pay a ransom amount. The Mumbai police had provided security to Shetty, however, the same was withdrawn two months before his murder.
After the incident, the hotel manager and another employee managed to run behind the shooters and catch one of them.
The special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA), in May this year, convicted Rajan and sentenced him to life in prison. The special judge held Rajan guilty of offences punishable under section 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code along with offences under the MCOCA and the Arms Act.
Chhota Rajan Moves Bombay HC
Rajan challenged this before the HC, which suspended his sentence and granted bail to Rajan pending his appeal in HC. “Execution of sentences allowed by the special court in MCOCA case stands suspended pending the appeal,” the bench said while granting him bail.
The special court had already convicted co-accused Ajay Mohite, Pramod Dhonde, and Rahul Pansare in the Shetty murder case.
Rajan’s close aide, Heman Pujari, who allegedly threatened the family after the murder demanding ransom, remains a wanted suspect.
Rajan was earlier sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey. he has not been granted bail in the case.
