Seven years after mid-day's crime and investigations editor Jyotirmoy Dey was gunned down on a rainy afternoon in June 2011, a city court was pronounced today
A special CBI court on Wednesday convicted nine accused including Chotta Rajan in the journalist J Dey murder case. However journalist Jigna Vora and another accused were acquitted in the case.
Special judge Sameer Adkar announced the judgement in a jammed packed court room. Those acquitted are Jigna Vora and Polson Palitara. While the court convicted Satish Kayla the shooter, Anil Waghmode, Abhijit Shinde, Nilesh Shedge, Arun Dake, Mangesh Agawan, Sachin Gaikwad, Deepak Shisodiya and Chotta Rajan under various sections. Different accused were convicted under different sections.
The judge told each accused including Rajan what they were convicted under. The quantum of sentence will be announced at 4.30 pm today. Special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat told the court only alternative was life or extreme sentence. Journalists are the fourth pillar of the society and this was attack on the 4th pillar. If this keeps happening it will be difficult for journalist to operate, he said adding accused are contract killers.
Mother and sister of Dey were depended on him and now with his mother passing away the sister who is mentally retarded it will be difficult for her to maintain herself, Gharat said. He pointed the fine under MCOCA is in lakh and major part should be paid to the sister so that she can take care of herself.
Defence lawyers asked for lesser sentence as some accused were old or had ailments and had families to take care of. Paresh Vora uncle of Jigna said we had faith in truth and justice. We are happy of what we heard today, this is victory of truth.
As per prosecution a book of Dey which was being written, he showed Rajan in bad light and wrote about him as ‘Chindi Rag to riches’ which had angered Rajan and this was the motive to kill him and also his rival Dawood Ibrahim was shown in good light, Gharat said.
Prosecution has the CCTV of the location where the crime took place, also the bikes used in the crime which were seized had matched in the CCTV – this was done by a US based expert, who deposed in court. The prosecution also relied on the extra judicial confession of Rajan in which he spoke to TV journalist, apart from this three of the accused confessed – they are Arun Dake, Deepak Shisodia and Polson Palitara. The call data record (CDR) locations of the accused of going to Nainital for getting arms, following Dey and going to his office have matched, Gharat said
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