Crime

Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Chhota Rajan, Ends Life Imprisonment

On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan, giving him major relief. He was convicted for the murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty in 2001. On May 30, 2024, a special MCOCA court convicted Rajan along with others, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The Bombay High Court has abolished the life sentence.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan directed Chhota Rajan to furnish a bond of Rs 1 lakh for bail. However, Chhota Rajan will remain in jail for other criminal cases. Earlier in May, a special court convicted Chhota Rajan in the murder case of the hotelier and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Chhota Rajan had filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court against the sentence. The gangster had demanded that the sentence be suspended unwashed is granted interim bail.

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Who is Chhota Rajan?

Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje, who lives in Chembur, Mumbai, was named Chhota Rajan by the underworld. After leaving school, Rajendra Sadashiv started black marketing of movie tickets and gradually he joined Rajan NaNair’sagth. Rajan Nair was called Bada Rajan. Rajan started the gang because of love for a girl but later his girlfriend married Abdul Kunju, who was a part of his gang. After this, Bada Rajan and Kunju became enemies and Kunju got Bada Rajan killed.

After this, the story of Chhota Rajan begins. Chhota Rajan came in contact with Dawood Ibrahim and together they handled the underworld syndicate in Mumbai for a long time. Dawood included Chhota Rajan in his gang and Chhota Rajan spread the terror of Dawood’s name in Mumbai city. Especially in the film industry, Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan were very influential. Chhota Rajan handled the ransom business in Mumbai and started collecting huge amounts of ransom from many big film producers.

Who was Jaya Shetty?

Jaya Shetty, owner of the Golden Crown Hotel in Gamdevi in central Mumbai, was shot dead by two alleged members of Chhota Rajan’s gang on the first floor of the hotel on May 4, 2001.