On October 23, the Bombay High Court granted bail to notorious gangster Chhota Rajan, suspending his life sentence for the 2001 murder of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty. This decision comes after Rajan’s appeal to suspend his sentence and seek interim bail in the case.
Earlier this year, on May 30, 2024, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court had sentenced Rajan to life imprisonment for the crime. A division bench consisting of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan approved Rajan’s bail under the condition that he furnish a bond of ₹1 lakh.
The Case of Jaya Shetty’s Murder
Jaya Shetty was the owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi, located in central Mumbai. He was brutally murdered on May 4, 2001, by two alleged members of Chhota Rajan’s gang. Besides running the Golden Crown, Shetty operated four other restaurants in Mumbai, including a prominent establishment on Grant Road.
Investigations into the case revealed that Shetty had been receiving extortion calls from Hemant Pujari, a key member of Rajan’s gang. When Shetty refused to meet their demands, he was shot dead on the hotel’s first floor. Shockingly, Shetty’s security had been withdrawn at his own request just two months prior to the fatal attack.
Rajan had been convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment earlier this year. However, after appealing to the Bombay High Court, his life sentence has now been suspended, allowing him to be released on bail in this case.
Rajan’s Criminal History
Despite the bail granted in the 2001 Jaya Shetty case, Chhota Rajan will not be walking free anytime soon. The gangster remains in prison due to his involvement in numerous other criminal cases, including the murder of renowned crime journalist J Dey in 2011. Rajan is currently serving a life sentence for Dey’s murder, a crime that shook the media fraternity and highlighted Rajan’s deep connections within the Mumbai underworld.
Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, has been implicated in around 70 criminal cases across Maharashtra. These cases range from murder and extortion to organized crime, making him one of the most notorious figures in Mumbai’s crime history.
Rajan’s arrest came in October 2015, when he was captured at Bali airport in Indonesia. After his arrest, he was deported to India and has since been lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi. His involvement in high-profile cases like the murder of journalist J Dey continues to keep him behind bars, despite the bail granted in the Shetty murder case.
Will Rajan Be Released After This Bail?
While the Bombay High Court has granted bail in the 2001 murder case of Jaya Shetty, it does not mean that Rajan will walk free. He remains incarcerated due to his other criminal convictions, including the life sentence for J Dey’s murder. This means Rajan will continue to serve his time in Tihar Jail, where he has been held since his deportation from Indonesia.
The Mumbai underworld, known for its bloody feuds and power struggles, saw many high-profile killings during Rajan’s reign, including the fallout between him and Dawood Ibrahim after the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Rajan has been embroiled in numerous cases related to extortion, murder, and organized crime, leaving a notorious legacy behind.
The Bombay High Court’s decision to grant bail in this specific case offers a slight reprieve for Rajan, but with a slew of other charges pending, his freedom remains a distant prospect.
The Bombay High Court’s ruling to grant bail to Chhota Rajan in the 2001 Jaya Shetty murder case raises questions about the potential next steps in Rajan’s long-standing criminal journey. While this case may see a temporary suspension of his sentence, the gangster’s continued imprisonment for his involvement in other serious crimes ensures he will remain behind bars for the foreseeable future.
For now, Rajan remains a figure deeply entangled in the world of organized crime, with his next legal battle looming on the horizon.
