The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to gangster Rajendra Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan in connection with the 2001 murder case of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty, reported the PTI.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta overturned the Bombay High Court’s order of October 23, 2024, which had suspended Chhota Rajan’s life sentence and granted him bail in the case.
The bench had allowed the special leave petition (SLP) filed by CBI challenging a Bombay High Court’s order granting bail to Chhota Rajan.
The case concerns the killing of Jaya Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi area of Central Mumbai.
On May 4, 2001, Shetty was shot dead on the hotel’s first floor by two alleged members of the Chhota Rajan gang. Investigations revealed Shetty had received extortion threats from Hemant Pujari, a close aide of Chhota Rajan, and was murdered for failing to comply.
Chhota Rajan had been convicted in May 2024 by a special court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He had appealed the conviction and was temporarily released on bail by the Bombay High Court, a decision now reversed by the Supreme Court.
The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The apex court objected to the relief given to Chhota Rajan, noting his criminal history and the fact that he had remained absconding for 27 years.
“Why suspend the sentence of such a man?” the bench remarked, according to the PTI.
Chhota Rajan’s lawyer argued there was no concrete evidence in the case. He pointed out that of the 71 cases filed against Rajan, the CBI had closed 47, citing lack of material evidence.
The court, however, rejected this defence.
“Your client’s name is notorious enough,” the bench said. It further stated that many of Chhota Rajan’s acquittals were likely due to witnesses being too afraid to testify, as per the PTI.
The bench accepted the CBI’s plea, cancelled Chhota Rajan’s bail bond, and restored his sentence.
Chhota Rajan remains in judicial custody and is already serving a life term in another case — the 2011 murder of mid-day`s crime journalist J Dey.
(with PTI inputs)
