Mumbai: The division bench of the Bombay High Court has refused to grant bail to four convicts sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in the murder of senior crime journalist Jyotirmoy Dey in June 2011.
Convicts and Verdict
The division bench of Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad refused to grant bail to Nilesh Shedge, Sachin Gaikwad, Abhijit Shinde, and Mangesh Aagvane, who were sentenced to life by the special MCOCA court in May 2018.
Prosecution’s Case
As per the prosecution's case, the accused were part of a criminal conspiracy and had kept watch on Dey from June 8, 2011, until the day he was shot on June 11, 2011. It was further alleged that the contract to kill Dey was awarded by underworld don Chhota Rajan to sharpshooter Rohit Thangappan Joseph, alias Satish Kalia. The prosecution contended that Kalia employed these four accused to complete the task.
Grounds for Bail
The four, however, challenged the verdict before the High Court. Pending their appeals, their lawyers sought bail on the grounds that they have already served half of their sentence since being in prison from June 2011.
Public Prosecutor’s Argument
The special public prosecutor, Pradeep Gharat, contested the claim, stating that they were given life imprisonment on three counts, so the total imprisonment would be 60 years. Additionally, they were convicted under a special statute.
Hence, the benefit of having served half of the total term of imprisonment would not be available to them. He further argued that if the half-term is to be considered, they would need to serve 30 years of imprisonment to avail the benefit and get bail.
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Murder Details
The 64-year-old was killed in Powai by motorbike-borne men who followed and shot him. As per the prosecution’s case, Rajan was upset with Dey over his stories on his gang published in a tabloid in Mumbai. It is further claimed that Rajan suspected Dey had joined hands with a rival gang and was publishing articles against him.
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