Delhi court directs CBI to consider plea by Chhota Rajan's sisters to allow them to meet gangster

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday directed the CBI to consider the plea of underworld don Chhota Rajan’s sisters, who sought its permission to meet their brother currently in the probe agency’s custody, on the occasion of Bhai Dooj, saying they have not met him for the past 27 years and wanted to bless him. During the hearing which took place at the residence of Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar, the court asked Sunita Sakkharam Chavan and her elder sister Malini Sakpal to approach CBI’s investigating officer with their application. [caption id=“attachment_2496940” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Chhota Rajan. Reuters [/caption] Advocate Rajiv Jai, who appeared on behalf of Rajan’s sisters, said the court has asked the IO to consider the plea keeping in view the security concerns. In an application moved before the court, Rajan’s sisters sought permission to meet the underworld don on compassionate grounds. “The applicants pray that the applicant Sunita Sakkharam Chavan and her elder sister Malini Sakpal may be allowed to meet their brother. That the applicants are physically unfit and may be escorted by their son-in-law Anil Menon for help,” their application said. Both the sisters in their application said they would not hinder the probe and abide by any condition imposed by the court. “Allow the applicant Sunita Sakkharam Chavan and her elder sister Malini Sakpal along with their son in law Anil Menon (for help) to meet their brother Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan who is in police custody (CBI) for ten days since November 7, 2015; on compassionate grounds and allow them to follow rituals of Bhai Dooj subject to any conditions which the court may deem fit and proper in circumstances,” the plea said. After being on the run for the past 27 years, underworld don Chhota Rajan was brought to India from Indonesia on 6 November by a joint team headed by CBI officials to face trial in various criminal cases registered against him in Delhi and Mumbai. On 7 November, CBI had got 10 days custody of Chhota Rajan in connection with an alleged fake passport case registered by the agency on 31 October, shortly before its team left for Indonesia to deport him back from Indonesia. Rajan’s sisters’ plea further said that “the applicants have never met their brother for the last so many years and after so many years when he is in the country, they wish to bless him.” The agency had registered a case against Rajan and unnamed officials for allegedly issuing a passport to him with a fake identity of Mohan Kumar in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare in 2003, where he was hiding after escaping from Bangkok following an attempt on his life in 2000 by Dawood Ibrahim’s hitmen. CBI had registered the case for the alleged offences of cheating, forgery, violation of Passport Act and violation Prevention of Corruption Act. This is the second case of fake passport against him, the first having been registered in 2002 for another passport issued in 1996 with a fake identity of Vijay Kadam in Bangkok. The 55-year-old gangster, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, has been kept in the national capital where he is being questioned by sleuths of various investigating agencies as he has been making claims of having further evidence to nail India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and his links with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. Ahead of Rajan’s arrival in India, Maharashtra government had made a surprise announcement of handing over all the cases relating to the underworld don to the CBI as the agency had expertise in handling such cases. PTI