Court acquits Chhota Rajan in Datta Samant murder case

Mumbai: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday acquitted gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje aka Chhota Rajan accused of orchestrating the high-profile murder of famous Mumbai trade union leader Dr Datta Samant who was shot dead in 1997.
However, Chhota Rajan is not likely to be released from jail anytime soon as he is facing trial in several other cases in various cities. The court has acquitted him on the grounds of lack of cogent evidence.
“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.