Supreme Court cancels suspension of sentence against Gangster Chhota Rajan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail granted to gangster Chhota Rajan in the 2001 murder case of hotelier Jaya Shetty in Mumbai, after noting that he has been in custody in other cases.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta allowed a plea by the CBI challenging an order passed by the Bombay High Court on October 23, 2024, suspending the life sentence of Rajan and granting him bail in the case.

The bench noted that for 27 years, Rajan had absconded. He was convicted in four cases.

Rajan's counsel argued it was a case of no evidence, and out of the 71 cases, the CBI did not find any material against Rajan in 47 cases and that the probe agency closed those cases.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, for the CBI, said the high court had suspended the life sentence awarded to Rajan in the case.

"Why suspension of sentence to such a man," the bench said.

Rajan's counsel said he was convicted in a separate murder case and was awarded a life sentence. "We will cancel the bail in this," the bench said.

Rajan’s counsel contended that he was acquitted in several cases. He said that there was no evidence in the case.

“Your name itself is big enough,” the bench said, after noting Rajan was already in judicial custody and was serving a sentence in another case.

The court allowed the CBI's plea challenging the high court order and cancelled his bail bond.

A special court in May 2024 convicted Rajan in the hotelier's murder case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Rajan field the appeal in the high court challenging his conviction and also sought that the sentence be suspended and he should be granted bail in the interim.

Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown hotel at Gamdevi in central Mumbai, was shot dead by two alleged members of Rajan's gang on the hotel's first floor on May 4, 2001. Rajan was already serving a life term for the murder of veteran crime reporter J Dey.