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The Supreme Court cancelled Chhota Rajan’s bail in the Jaya Shetty murder case, citing his convictions and absconding history.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) cancelled the bail granted by the Bombay High Court to gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, also known as ‘Chhota Rajan’, who is serving a life sentence for the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta pointed out that Nikalje had been a fugitive for 27 years with four other convictions. Mumbai police and encounters: From killing gangsters to staging deaths “Why should we suspend the sentence of such a man?” Justice Mehta asked Nikalje’s counsel.. Justice Nath remarked about the notoriety attached to the name ‘Chhota Rajan’, saying “his name itself was quite enough”. (File)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to gangster Chhota Rajan in connection with the 2001 murder case of hotelier Jaya Shetty.
Hearing a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the Bombay High Court’s October 23, 2024 order suspending the notorious gangster’s sentence and granting him bail, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta noted that Rajan was convicted in at least four cases and had been absconding for 27 years.
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“Why suspension of sentence to such a man,” the bench questioned as reported by news agency PTI.
When Rajan’s counsel argued it was a case of “no evidence”, the bench observed, “your name itself is big enough”.
The counsel said that out of the 71 cases, the probe agency did not find any material against Rajan in 47 cases and the CBI closed them.
To this, the two-judge bench said the acquittals were due to the reason that witnesses did not come forward.
Allowing the CBI appeal against the High Court order, the Bench cancelled Rajan’s bail bond while noting that he was already in judicial custody and serving sentence in another case.
“We will cancel the bail in this,” the bench said.
In May last year, a special court in Mumbai sentenced Chhota Rajan to life imprisonment in the murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty in 2001, more than six years after he was handed a similar sentence in the killing of journalist J Dey.
He had appealed against the trial court decision in the High Court, seeking suspension of sentence, and grant of interim bail.
Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown hotel at Gamdevi in central Mumbai, was shot dead by two alleged members of his gang on the hotel’s first floor on May 4, 2001.
A probe suggested that Shetty had received extortion calls from Hemant Pujari, a member of the Chhota Rajan gang, and was killed because of his failure to pay the money.
At the time, the court sentenced Chhota Rajan to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 16 lakh on him. Following this, Chhota Rajan has now been found guilty in seven cases, including six in Mumbai.
Chhota Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, was arrested by Indonesian police in October 2015 after which he was extradited from Bali to India.
The gangster, believed to have been a former right-hand man of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, spent nearly three decades on the run before his arrest.
(With inputs from agencies)
About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
September 17, 2025, 21:44 IST
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