Gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, popularly known as Chhota Rajan, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special MCOCA court in Mumbai for the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty.

The ruling was made by Special Judge AM Patil in accordance with the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA). A comprehensive version of the ruling is anticipated.

Rajan, who appeared in court via video conference from Tihar Jail in New Delhi, was convicted guilty of several charges:

1. Rajan was found guilty of murder under Section 302 of the IPC and criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B. He was also fined Rs. 1,000,000 and given a life sentence. There will be an additional year of simple jail if the fine is not paid.

2. Rajan was given life sentences with fines of Rs. 5,00,000 each in accordance with Sections 3(1)(i), 3(2), and 3(4) of the MCOCA. In addition, there will be an additional year of simple imprisonment for each case of nonpayment of these fines.

In addition to Rajan receiving four concurrent life terms, the court fined him a total of Rs. 16,00,000. He was found not guilty of any offences under the Arms Act's Sections 3, 25, and 27.

Details of the Verdict and Case Background of Chhota Rajan

The prosecution's argument was that Rajan's gang had threatened to extort victim Jaya Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown hotel in South Mumbai. Two months before to his assassination, he was under police protection, which was later terminated. On May 4, 2001, two suspected gang members shot and killed Shetty outside his workplace because Shetty was allegedly refusing to pay the Rs. 50,000 that was demanded.

Ajay Mohite, Pramod Dhonde, and Rahul Pansare, the three co-accused, have all been found guilty before in relation to this crime.

Rajan is already serving prison for the 2011 murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey; this life sentence is his second. Rajan, who was repatriated to India after being arrested in Bali in October 2015, is accused in 71 instances in Maharashtra. These cases have been forwarded to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Maharashtra government.

Mr. Shetty was shot and killed on May 4, 2001, by two attackers who have not been identified but are suspected of belonging to Rajan's gang. Shetty was instantly killed by the attackers who had broken into the first floor of the hotel and started shooting at him.

Chhota Rajan
Image Source: wikipedia

Hemant Pujari, a close aide to Rajan, threatened to kill every member of Shetty's family in a phone call shortly after the murder if the extortion money was not paid. The hotel management had filed a complaint, which led to the police opening a murder case. According to a police inquiry, Pujari was threatening to call Shetty if he didn't have the money to return the favour. Pujari is still a suspect in the case that is wanted.

Rajan was apprehended by Indonesian authorities on October 25, 2015, at the Bali airport, after being on the run for nearly thirty years. In May 2018, he and eight other individuals were given life sentences for their roles in the 2011 murder of journalist Dey. In addition, the mobster is facing accusations in seventy additional Maharashtra cases.

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