Specific allegations that Chhota Rajan led the gang that murdered Datta Samant: court

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In its detailed order rejecting the release on bail of gangster Chhota Rajan for the murder of union leader Datta Samant in 1997, a special court said there were specific allegations that he led the gang that committed the murder.

Rajan applied for bail saying police claimed his connection to the murder through two other co-defendants, both of whom were acquitted in 2000. He said that with the criminal conspiracy charge not proven, nothing remains of the allegation against him. His plea was dismissed last week and the detailed order was made available on Tuesday.

Only because the offense under Article 120B IPC is not proven against the arrested accused, it is a little premature at this point to comment on a plot hatched by the applicant / accused. This aspect requires detailed evidence and the prosecution must prove this fact by producing evidence, Special Judge AT Wankhede said in his detailed order.

On January 16, 1997, Samant was traveling from Powai to Ghatkopar in a jeep when four strangers blocked his vehicle and shot him. It was alleged that the motive for the murder was a trade union dispute and that the offense was committed by Rajans’ men.

The CBI, which took over the case from Mumbai police after Rajan’s extradition from Indonesia in 2015, claimed witness statements showed the men were related to him.

It was also said that a witness identified an accused, who made a phone call to Hong Kong from his phone booth, which was circumstantial evidence against Rajan.

The court said charges had been laid in the case and the trial was due to begin. He also indicated that Rajan was already serving a life sentence for the murder of journalist J Dey in 2011. Rajan is facing several cases and is currently being held in Tihar prison.

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