The Bombay High Court has granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan in the 2001 Jaya Shetty murder case. Rajan, who had been convicted earlier this year and sentenced to life imprisonment, was given relief by a division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan. The court directed Rajan to furnish a bond of ₹1 lakh for his release on bail. However, he will remain in jail due to his involvement in other criminal cases.
In May 2024, a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) had sentenced Rajan to life imprisonment for his role in the murder. Rajan had filed an appeal with the Bombay High Court, challenging his conviction and seeking a suspension of his sentence, along with interim bail.
Who was Jaya Shetty?
Jaya Shetty, the owner of Golden Crown hotel in central Mumbai’s Gamdevi, was gunned down on May 4, 2001, by two alleged members of Rajan’s gang. Investigations revealed that Shetty had been receiving extortion calls from Hemant Pujari, a member of the Chhota Rajan gang, and was murdered for failing to pay the demanded amount.
Chhota Rajan, who is also serving a life sentence for the 2011 murder of journalist J Dey, remains lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
