The Bombay High Court has refused to grant bail to an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan who was convicted in the 2011 killing of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey.
The court also denied the suspension of the life imprisonment sentence handed to him.
A division bench of Justices N W Sambre and N R Borkar dismissed the petition filed by Satish Kalya on November 6, seeking both bail and the suspension of his sentence. The court held that he does not merit release on bail with the sentence suspended.
In its order, the court emphasized that it was established that Jyotirmoy Dey died as a result of a homicidal incident involving a firearm injury. The court acknowledged the recovery of the weapon used in the offense at the behest of the applicant, Satish Kalya, and confirmed its connection to the crime.
The bench noted that despite Kalya’s prolonged incarceration, the court must be sensitive to the prior convictions of the accused. It highlighted that Kalya is part of an underworld gang and executed the offense on the orders of syndicate head Chhota Rajan, currently in Tihar jail.
Kalya, along with Chhota Rajan and six others, was convicted in May 2018 for the murder of Jyotirmoy Dey and was sentenced to life imprisonment. All the convicted individuals have filed appeals in the high court challenging their convictions.
According to the prosecution, Dey was killed on June 11, 2011, at the behest of Chhota Rajan, who found certain articles written by the journalist offensive. Dey was shot dead by two individuals on a motorcycle in the Powai area of central Mumbai. Kalya, the pillion rider, allegedly opened fire at Dey.
Kalya’s counsel, Shirish Gupte, argued that he was arrested in 2011 and has been in custody since then. The appeal against his conviction has been pending since 2018, and Gupte claimed it is not likely to be heard in the near future. He further contended that Kalya was convicted based on circumstantial evidence and without direct evidence, making him eligible for release on bail due to his extended incarceration.
