The Bombay High Court on Wednesday has granted bail to gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, also known as Chhota Rajan, in connection with the 2001 Jaya Shetty murder case on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for this crime. The divisional bench, consisting of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan, set bail at ₹1 lakh.
Last year, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court acquitted Rajan of orchestrating the high-profile murder of Mumbai trade union leader Dr. Datta Samant, who was shot dead in 1997.
The court found a lack of cogent evidence against him, stating, “In this case, no incriminating evidence has come on record against the accused in respect of conspiracy to commit the murder of Dr. Datta Samant.”
Dr. Samant was assassinated by four individuals on January 16, 1997, while traveling from Powai to Ghatkopar in his jeep. Although three individuals were convicted for the murder in 2000, Rajan was listed as a wanted accused.
He was arrested in Indonesia in 2015 and subsequently brought to Mumbai, where all pending cases against him were transferred to the CBI.
Despite the bail grant, Chhota Rajan is unlikely to be released soon, as he faces trials in multiple cases across various cities.
