In a significant development, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday acquitted gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, famously known as Chhota Rajan, who was accused of masterminding the high-profile murder of renowned Mumbai trade union leader Dr Datta Samant in 1997.
The court’s decision to acquit Chhota Rajan was based on the lack of cogent evidence against him in connection with the murder case.
Despite the acquittal in this specific case, Chhota Rajan’s legal troubles are far from over. He will not be released from jail anytime soon, as he is still facing trial in several other cases in different cities.
The acquitted gangster remains entangled in legal proceedings across various jurisdictions, which will determine his fate in the other pending cases.
“In this case, no incriminating evidence has come on record against the accused in respect of conspiracy to commit murder of Dr Datta Samant,” the court said.
Dr Samant was shot dead by four persons on Padmavati Road on January 16, 1997, when he was going from Powai to Ghatkopar in his jeep.
While three persons were convicted for the murder in 2000, Rajan was named among the wanted accused in the case. He was arrested in 2015 in Indonesia and brought to Mumbai. All the cases pending against him were then transferred to the CBI.