The Bombay High Court has suspended the life sentence of gangster Chhota Rajan, granting him bail in connection with the 2001 murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty.
However, Rajan will remain incarcerated due to other pending criminal cases.
On Wednesday, a division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan directed Rajan to furnish a bond of ₹1 lakh for his bail.
In May, a special court had convicted Rajan for Shetty's murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Chhota Rajan filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging his conviction and requested that the sentence be suspended while awaiting the outcome of his appeal.
Jaya Shetty, the owner of the Golden Crown hotel in Gamdevi, central Mumbai, was shot dead by two alleged members of Rajan's gang on May 4, 2001.
Currently serving a life sentence for the murder of veteran crime reporter J Dey, Rajan is incarcerated at Tihar Jail in Delhi. His legal battles extend beyond the Shetty case.
In a separate high-profile case, Rajan was acquitted last year by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court for allegedly orchestrating the murder of renowned trade union leader Dr Datta Samant, who was shot dead in 1997.
The court concluded that "no incriminating evidence has come on record against the accused in respect of conspiracy to commit the murder of Dr Datta Samant."
Dr Samant was killed on January 16, 1997, while travelling in his jeep from Powai to Ghatkopar, shot by four assailants. Although three individuals were convicted for the murder in 2000, Rajan was named among the wanted accused.
After his arrest in Indonesia in 2015, Rajan was brought back to Mumbai, where all pending cases against him were transferred to the CBI. The legal saga surrounding Rajan continues as he navigates the complexities of multiple criminal charges.
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