Sajni murder case: HC denies temporary bail to Tarun Jinaraj

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday rejected a plea filed by the accused, Tarun Jinaraj, in the 2003 Sajni Nair murder case. He had sought temporary bail to deal with the financial crisis of his mother Annamma Chacko, who lives in an old-age home.
Refusing to entertain the plea, HC judge MK Thakker said, “As the mother is receiving a pension of Rs 34,000 per month as stated by her, and because the accused was arrested after a long period, this court is not inclined to entertain this application. Hence, this application is rejected.” Jinaraj had challenged a sessions court’s order which rejected his temporary bail plea in April.
He had sought bail saying that his mother was cheated out of Rs 24 lakh by someone. He wanted to go out and help her, he mentioned in his application sent through jail authorities.
The lower court also rejected the bail plea after the prosecution opposed it saying that if released even temporarily, Jinaraj may disappear to evade the trial. Following the objection, the court rejected the bail plea.
Jinaraj was arrested in 2018 after the police traced him to Bengaluru.Jinaraj’s lawyer claimed an alibi to assert that Jinaraj had nothing to do with his wife’s murder. He submitted that by the time the murder took place on February 14, 2003, Jinaraj had gone to meet his brother and later to buy a cake and a soft toy.