Fake passport: Chhota Rajan jailed for 7 years

New Delhi: A special court on Tuesday awarded seven years of jail term to underworld don Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan and three public servants and also imposed a fine of Rs 7,15,000 on each of them in connection with a fake passport case.

During the argument on quantum of sentence, Rajan’s counsel pleaded for leniency, saying the passport was issued to him by someone on behalf of the state as he was fighting terrorism and helping the government. “I have undergone bypass surgery. I have a threat to my life from Dawood Ibrahim. I have three daughters, who are studying,” Rajan told the court while seeking leniency.

Rajan’s move was opposed by the CBI, which said he should be awarded maximum punishment to set a deterrent for others. Besides Rajan, the court also awarded a seven-year jail term to other three convicts, who are retired public servants Jayashree Dattatray Rahate, Deepak Natvarlal Shah and Lalitha Lakshmanan.

The punishment was awarded to all the convicts for the offences of cheating, using a forged document as genuine, forgery for the purpose of cheating, forgery of valuable security or will, cheating by impersonation and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and violating relevant provisions of the Passport Act.

All the four were convicted of the same offences for which the punishment ranges from seven years to life term. While Rajan is lodged in Tihar Jail here, the other three persons, who were out on bail, were taken into custody on Monday after the verdict was announced. Rajan is involved in over 85 cases, ranging from murder to extortion, smuggling and drug trafficking.