High Court questions 18-year delay in hearing gangster Chhota Rajan’s wife’s plea

The Bombay High Court on Monday expressed concern over the prolonged pendency of a plea filed by Sujata Nikalje, wife of gangster Chhota Rajan, challenging her alleged illegal arrest by Mumbai Police in 2005. The petition, originally submitted in 2006, remains unheard nearly two decades later.
During the hearing, a bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan questioned the delay, with Justice Chavan noting, “This was filed in 2006; it has been 18 years now”.
The Additional Public Prosecutor, Prajakta Shinde, informed the court that the petition had been misplaced, prompting a reconstruction in 2014. Despite this, no hearing has taken place since.
Advocate Nikhil Maneshinde, representing Nikalje, confirmed that his client wished to proceed with the case, asserting that he had received instructions to continue with the petition.
The court then directed the state to appoint a Special Public Prosecutor for the case and adjourned the hearing until January 13, 2025.
The plea stems from Nikalje’s arrest on December 14, 2005, when crime branch officers detained from Mumbai’s eastern suburbs and took her to the crime branch office near Crawford Market.
According to Nikalje, she was told she was being taken to give a statement to the then Joint Commissioner of Police. However, she alleged that her statement was recorded without any disclosure of the grounds for her arrest, and no formal arrest memorandum was prepared.
She was eventually produced before the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on December 16, two days after her detention.
Nikalje’s plea also claims her sister, who was arrested alongside her, was not informed of any grounds for her detention, contrary to established procedural norms.
However, the crime branch contended that Nikalje’s arrest was linked to an extortion case. The complainant in the case claimed to have received threats from Chhota Rajan’s associates, who were allegedly extorting money from builders in the Tilak Nagar area.
The complaint implicated Nikalje as part of the syndicate, accusing her of accepting Rs 5 lakh out of Rs 10 lakh extortion amount.