A special MCOCA court here on Tuesday granted permission to the CBI to interrogate the deported underworld gangster Chhota Rajan for 10 days beginning from January 27, in connection with the 2011 journalist J Dey murder case.
After allowing the CBI’s plea seeking a formal go-ahead to interrogate Rajan for 10 days beginning from January 27, the Special Judge Al Pansare adjourned the case for next hearing on February 5.
The formal nod to the CBI came from the MCOCA court for 10—day-long interrogation of the gangster, after Rajan – who was produced before the Judge through video link from the Tihar Jail in Delhi – told the court he had received the chargesheet and needed time to go through it.
“I am kept in a high security cell and only taken out once in a week and need 15 days to a month for scanning the chargesheet and engaging a lawyer in Mumbai,” Rajan informed the court.
Responding to the submission made by Rajan, Judge Pansare told the gangster that his lawyer Anshuman Sinha was present in the court.
Upbraiding the Mumbai police for their failure to make available a copy of the chargesheet filed in the J Dey murder case, the judge had told the police to do so
immediately.
“Why not yetIJ What are you waiting forIJ. why are you waiting for an order for everythingIJ,” the judge had said, while passing an order directing the police to serve the copy of chargesheet
Fifty-six-year-old Dey, who was an Editor (Special Investigations) with “Mid-Day”, was gunned down by a group of motorbike-riding gangsters at Powai in north-east Mumbai on June 11, 2011. Investigations have revealed that Dey was bumped off at the behest of Rajan.
On June 8 last year, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court here on Monday had framed charges against the 10 accused, including an arrested fellow reporter Jigna Vora, in the case.
The court had charged the ten accused with having not only been a part of the underworld gang run by Chhota Rajan, but executed the conspiracy hatched by the fugitive gangster to eliminate Dey.
The charges were framed against the ten accused under 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearing of evidence), 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 325 and 327 of Arms Act and 3(1)(i), 3 (2) and 3 (4) of the MCOCA.
Initially, 10 persons were arrested in connection with the case and charge-sheeted. Jigna was arrested on November 25, 2011. Jigna was chargesheeted was subsequently. Of the total 11 accused, one accused Vinod Chembur alias Vinod Asrani, a real estate dealer and a bookie from Chembur, who was the main financer and co-conspirator, passed away on April 11 this year following multiple ailments.
On December 3, 2011, the police had filed a 3,055 page chargesheet against 12 accused in the case, including Rajan and another absconding accused Nayansingh Pratapsingh Bisht who, along with another accused, had made available 0.32 bore US-made US revolver used in the crime.
The other accused, against whom charge sheet had been filed on December 3 2011, were — Rohee Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia. All of them are in custody under MCOCA charges.
Vora’s name did not figure in the first chargesheet. On February 21, 2012, the crime branch police filed a supplementary chargesheet in the court, including Vora’s name in the list of accused in the case and specifying her role in the crime.
The supplementary chargesheet ran into 1,471 pages, split into three volumes. There are 27 witnesses. Three of the witnesses have given their statement under oath (CrPC 164) which is admissible as evidence in the court.
Three arrested accused — Paulson Joseph, Deepak Sisodia and Arun Dake — have made their confessions, in keeping with the provisions of MCOCA.
The Prosecution’s case has been that Vora, who is the deputy bureau chief of the Mumbai edition of “Asian Age”, had allegedly instigated Chhota Rajan, into ordering the killing of senior crime journalist Dey, following some professional rivalry between two media persons.
The investigations have so far revealed that it was incarcerated co-accused Paulson Joseph, who had provided international SIM cards to Vora to make calls to Rajan, who is holed up somewhere in south-east Asia.