Bombay HC Suspends Chhota Rajan’s Life Sentence in 2001 Hotelier Murder Case, Grants Bail

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan, who was convicted for the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty. Rajan, along with others, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special MCOCA Court on May 30, 2024. This marks his second life sentence, as he is already serving time for the 2011 murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey.

Bombay HC suspends life sentence of gangster Chhota Rajan in case of murder of hotelier in 2001; grants him bail

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2024

A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan today granted bail to Chhota Rajan, suspending his life sentence until the appeal against the special MCOCA Court's judgment is resolved.

In May, a special court convicted Chhota Rajan for the murder of the hotelier and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Rajan subsequently filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court, challenging the conviction and requesting that his sentence be suspended, while also seeking interim bail.

Jaya Shetty, the owner of Golden Crown hotel in central Mumbai, was shot dead on May 4, 2001, by two alleged members of Chhota Rajan's gang after he reportedly failed to pay extortion money demanded by Hemant Pujari, a gang member. Chhota Rajan, already serving a life sentence for the murder of journalist J Dey, is currently incarcerated in Tihar Jail, Delhi.