CBI has failed to make fresh investigations into the cases registered against Chhota Rajan

Two years and three months after the deportation of underworld don Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje, alias Chhota Rajan, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has hardly made any fresh headway in cases registered against him, barring the murder of journalist J Dey.

Rajan was deported to India in November 2015 from Bali. After his arrival, the Centre, with the consent of the state government on November 21, 2015, issued a notification to transfer all the cases against him to CBI.

Mumbai police had listed around 71 cases against Rajan, in and around Mumbai, which were transferred to CBI. Out of these, the agency has taken up investigation in around 20 cases in the last two years.

However, except for the murder case of journalist J Dey, the agency has hardly produced anything fresh against the gangster. Meanwhile, the special court is conducting trials in five cases –murder of journalist J Dey, attempt to murder hotelier BR Shetty, firing at builder Ajay Gosalia, John Pareira murder case and Asif Dadhi shootout.

Out of these five, CBI had presented fresh evidence only in the J Dey murder case, while in the rest of the cases, the agency submitted reports saying the investigation done by the Mumbai police is correct. The prosecution endorsed the charge sheets filed by the city police and began the trials.

In many of the cases, the don offered to surrender and asked the court to take him into judicial custody, when CBI did not initiate investigation in those cases. The court allowed his plea but the agency has still not claimed his custody in many cases.

Meanwhile, CBI is still struggling to trace records of older cases. An officer from Mumbai police, who was deputed to CBI to assist the agency in the process, said, “In many cases they have not found preliminary record and case papers. Most of the cases, officers who investigated the case at that time, have retired and some are also not traceable.” Further, the court records of old cases are also not available in many of the cases as they were destroyed periodically, keeping only the copy of the judgement on record as per the rule.

The special court set up to hear cases registered under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) against Rajan, had recently in one of the old cases, asked the registry to trace records of the old cases of Rajan and submit the reports periodically, once in every 15 days. With several such difficulties, the agency registered fresh complaints in several old cases, an officer said on the condition of anonymity.