In a significant development, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan, suspending his life sentence imposed by a special court in the murder case of Jaya Shetty. Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown hotel in South Mumbai, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants on May 4, 2001.
Currently incarcerated at Tihar Jail in Delhi, Rajan has been directed by the court to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with sureties of the same amount. This case is among 71 that were transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following Rajan's deportation to India from Indonesia in 2015.
In May, a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) convicted Rajan and sentenced him to life imprisonment for the murder of Shetty. This conviction marked Rajan’s second life sentence, as he is already serving time for the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, for which he has not been granted bail.
The hotel manager and another employee were able to pursue the shooters immediately after the attack and apprehended one of them. Special Judge A.M. Patil found Rajan guilty of murder (under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code) and criminal conspiracy (under Section 120B), in addition to offenses under MCOCA and the Arms Act.
Following the conviction, Rajan appealed to the Bombay High Court, challenging the special court's verdict. On Wednesday, a division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj K. Chavan suspended Rajan's sentence, allowing him bail while his appeal is pending.
The bench noted, "Execution of sentences allowed by the special court in MCOCA case stands suspended pending the appeal."
Additionally, the special court had previously convicted co-accused Ajay Mohite, Pramod Dhonde, and Rahul Pansare in connection with the Shetty murder case. Notably, minutes after the murder, Rajan's close aide Hemant Pujari allegedly threatened Shetty's family to pay a ransom. Pujari remains a wanted suspect in the case.
