Chhota Rajan on Tuesday was discharged by a special court from a murder case dating back nearly 23 years. (File) GANGSTER Chhota Rajan on Tuesday was discharged by a special court from a murder case dating back nearly 23 years. The case pertained to the gunning down of five persons in a firing in Bandra on March 1, 1999 by unidentified persons. The dead included Majid Khan, the owner of M K Builders, brother of gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Yakoob Khan alias Yeda Yakoob, who were booked for their involvement in the Mumbai 1993 serial blasts.
Special Judge A T Wankhede allowed Rajan’s discharge plea, clearing him of all charges including murder and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act after finding no evidence to proceed the trial against him. This was one of the over 50 cases transferred to the CBI from the Mumbai Police after the gangster’s extradition from Indonesia in 2015. Rajan, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail in Delhi, is serving life imprisonment for the murder of journalist J Dey in 2011.
In this case, on March 1, 1999, a firing was reported near a hotel in Bandra (west). Five persons were killed in the incident including Khan. A person named Ajay Mohite was arrested. It was claimed at that time that the murder was done on the instructions of Rajan, along with other hits allegedly ordered by him on blast accused. Mohite was acquitted in 2004 by a court for lack of evidence.
In his discharge plea filed through lawyers Avinash Rasal and Tushar Khandare, it was submitted that there was nothing to show Rajan’s involvement either. It was claimed that the case was based on conjecture. There was no call record or voice sample of Rajan to show that he was in any manner connected to the murders, it was submitted. The lawyers also said that Rajan was heading a gang which committed the crime. It was claimed that since Rajan was absconding at that time, he was shown as an accused in cases he was not connected with. It was also submitted that no sanction under the MCOC Act was taken to prosecute Rajan.
Apart from the murder of Dey, Rajan has been convicted in cases including an extortion of a builder in 2015. In 2018, he was acquitted in a murder case he was booked for 35 years ago.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
