The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has strongly opposed the plea of underworld don Chhota Rajan, also known as Rajendra Nikalje, who has approached the Bombay High Court seeking suspension of sentence and bail in the 2001 murder case of hotelier Jaya Shetty.
A special CBI court in Mumbai, on May 30, convicted Rajan and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Three other shooters involved in the case had already been sentenced to life imprisonment in an earlier trial.
Shetty, who owned the ‘Golden Crown’ hotel in South Mumbai, was shot dead in front of his office by two unidentified persons on May 4, 2001. Following the incident, one accused, Ajay Suresh Mohite, alias Ajay Surajbhan Shreshtha, alias Ajay Nepali, alias Chikna, was caught red-handed with two firearms. He was alleged to have shot Shetty, while co-accused Kundansingh Rawat managed to flee but was later apprehended. Rawat passed away before the conclusion of the trial, and Mohite was shot dead in an encounter while on parole after his conviction. Three others, along with Mohite, were sentenced to life imprisonment, and this judgment was relied upon in convicting and sentencing Rajan a few months ago.
During the trial, Shetty’s sons testified that they were aware of extortion calls demanding â¹50 lakhs from Rajan, which their father had refused to pay.
Rajan’s plea, filed through advocate Sudeep Pasbola, argues that the prosecution has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the evidence on record was insufficient to warrant his conviction.
The plea highlights that the trial against Rajan and the other accused were separate, yet the judge in Rajan’s trial was allegedly heavily influenced by the previous judgment. “The trial judge ought to have seen that both trials were separate, and the evidence recorded was separate. The present case was to be decided only on the basis of evidence recorded in it,” the plea stated.
The plea also noted that Shetty’s manager had registered complaints regarding threats, but these were allegedly made by Hemant Poojary, not Rajan. “Mere allegation that Hemant Poojary was affiliated with the Chhota Rajan gang was not sufficient to hold Rajan guilty. There was no evidence to suggest that Hemant Poojary was acting at the behest of Rajan and was threatening the deceased on his behalf,” the plea argued.
Rajan’s plea will be heard by the bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan on August 20. Rajan is also serving a life sentence in the 2011 murder case of journalist J Dey.
Source Agencies
