Mumbai CBI Court Acquits Chhota Rajan In Union Leader Datta Samant's Murder Case

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday acquitted gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje aka Chhota Rajan in the 1997 murder of trade unionist Dr Datta Samant.

Special CBI judge AM Patil acquitted Rajan of all the charges for the lack of cogent evidence.

Samant was famous for leading thousands of textile mill workers in a year-long strike in 1982 which led to the eventual closure of most textile mills in Mumbai.

He was shot on January 16, 1997 while he was travelling in his jeep from Powai to Pant Nagar in Ghatkopar. The prosecution claimed that four persons on two bikes obstructed Samant’s vehicle and fired at least seventeen bullets at the trade union leader before fleeing the spot.

The murder was orchestrated by Rajan over a trade union dispute, they said.

While Samant was rushed to a nearby hospital soon after the murder, he was declared dead on arrival.

The case was initially registered at the Sakinaka police station against four people on a complaint by Samant’s driver Bhimrao Sonkamble. Sonkamble had sustained injuries to his face and neck in the attack.

Several accused were arrested but only three were finally convicted in July 2000. Rajan was shown absconding at the time. However, after Rajan’s arrest in October 2015 from Bali in Indonesia, all the cases against him were taken over by the CBI.

CBI claimed that Rajan was the ‘man behind the curtain’ who operated the gang to commit Samant’s murder. Twenty-two witnesses were examined of which 8 were declared hostile.

Rajan, represented by Advocate Ayush Pasbola argued that the two accused with whom Rajan was shown to have some connection were both acquitted of conspiracy therefore it would be presumed that Rajan was not party to any conspiracy.

According to the court several important witnesses were declared hostile. The prosecution’s application to charge one of the witnesses with perjury was also turned down.

A detailed copy of the order is yet to be made available.