More than a fortnight after a MCOCA court here issued a production warrant against him, deported underworld gangster Chhota Rajan was on Thursday produced before the court of Special Judge Al Pansare via video conferencing from Tihar Jail in connection with the 2011 journalist J Dey murder case.
In line with an observation made by a Delhi court that Rajan could not be physically produced before the MCOCA court in Mumbai in view of the threat to his life, the Tihar jail authorities produced the underworld gangster before Pansare through video conferencing from their prison in the national capital.
Pansare had, on December 22, 2015, had issued a production warrant against Rajan asking him to appear before it on January 7. On being asked to spell out his name, Rajan told the judge: “My name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje”.
After explaining the J Dey murder case - in which he has been named as one of the accused, the special judge ordered that he be remanded in judicial custody. Phansare spoke to Rajan in Marathi.
Upbraiding the Mumbai police for their failure to make available a copy of the charge-sheet filed in the J Dey murder case, the judge told the police to do so. “Why not yetIJ What are you waiting forIJ. why are you waiting for an order for everythingIJ,” the judge said, as he passed an order directing the police to serve the copy of charge sheet.
The MCOCA court scheduled next date of hearing of the case for January 19. “The charges will be framed against Rajan on January 19,” Special Public Prosecutor Dileep Shah said. On his part, Rajan informed the judge that he did not have any lawyer in Mumbai and was looking for one. Earlier in the day, the CBI informed the special court that a Delhi court which had directed the Tihar authorities to produce Rajan via video link in Mumbai.
The directive followed an application moved by Rajan before the Delhi court that he should not be sent to Mumbai as there is threat to his life. The Special court permitted the CBI to carry out further investigation in the J Dey murder case. However. Judge Pansare asked the CBI counsel that that since Bombay High Court has expedited the case, “is it not advisable to approach the HC and get an appropriate modified orderIJ”.
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 charge-sheeted 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 charge-sheet against the 12 accused in the case, including Rajan and the another absconding accused Nayansingh Pratapsingh Bisht who, along with the another accused, had made available 0.32 bore US-made, US revolver used in the crime.