By Bombay High Court
Copyright thehindu
The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) cancelled the bail granted by Bombay High Court to gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, also known as ‘Chhota Rajan’, who is serving a life sentence for the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta pointed out that Nikalje had been a fugitive for 27 years with four other convictions. “Why should we suspend the sentence of such a man?” Justice Mehta asked Nikalje’s counsel.
Justice Nath remarked about the notoriety attached to the name ‘Chhota Rajan’, saying “his name itself was quite enough.”
The defence lawyer submitted that convictions cannot be based on names. “Cannot give a name to someone and convict him,” the counsel responded. He argued that the CBI had found no material against his client in 47 of the 71 cases registered against him.
Allowing the CBI appeal against the High Court order, the Bench cancelled Nikalje’e bail bond while noting that he was already in judicial custody and serving sentence in another case.
A special court convicted Nikalje in Mr. Shetty’s murder In May 2024. He had appealed against the trial court decision in the High Court, seeking suspension of sentence grant of interim bail.
Jaya Shetty, who owned the Golden Crown hotel at Gamdevi in central Mumbai, was shot dead by two alleged members of Nikalje’s gang on May 4, 2001.
A probe suggested that Shetty had received extortion calls from Hemant Pujari, a member of the Chhota Rajan gang, and was killed because of his failure to pay the money. Nikalje is already serving a life sentence for the murder of veteran crime reporter J. Dey.
