Gangster Chhota Rajan, 5 others get 8-yr imprisonment in attempting to kill B R Shetty
Mumbai, Aug 20: A Mumbai court on Tuesday awarded eight years' rigorous imprisonment to gangster Chhota Rajan and five others for attempting to kill a city-based hotelier in 2012.
Special court judge A T Wankhede convicted the six under various sections of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy).
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on each of them.
In May last year, the same court awarded life imprisonment to Rajan for the murder of Mumbai-based journalist J Dey.
Rajan is lodged in Tihar jail in Delhi after his deportation to India from Indonesia in October 2015.
Besides Rajan, the five others awarded the punishment are Nityanand Nayak, Selvin Daniel, Rohit Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalia, Dilip Upadhyay and Talvinder Singh.
Hotelier B R Shetty was shot at in suburban Andheri by two motorcycle-borne shooters linked to Rajan in October 2012, when he was going to meet a friend.
Mumbai Police's anti-extortion cell, which probed the case, alleged that Rajan ordered his sharp-shooter Kalia to eliminate Shetty.
Kalia, who was in judicial custody for his involvement in J Dey's killing, asked his aide Gurudeep Singh, who is wanted in the case, to approach Upadhyay and Talvinder Singh to carry out the killing.
Nayak and Daniel then conducted a recce and helped the shooters identify Shetty, according to police.
On October 3, 2012, Upadhyay and Talvinder Singh followed Shetty on a motorcycle from the time he left his office. When the businessman reached near a jewellery showroom in Andheri, Upadhyay shot him.
Shetty received injury in his right arm, but survived.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 49 witnesses.
While convicting the six men, the court relied on the confessional statements of four of the accused as well as the deposition of Shetty.
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Delimitation separate from population management: Chandrababu Naidu
New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday sought to dispel confusion around delimitation, asserting that it is a separate issue from population management and should not be linked to the ongoing political discussions.
"Delimitation is a continuous process, occurring once in 25 years," Naidu told reporters here.
"Don't link all issues at a time. Delimitation and population management are different. I am talking about national interest," he added.
Discussing the ongoing political debates, Naidu emphasised, "There are reservations, and we will accommodate them. But don't link all issues at a time."
Speaking about India's demographic potential, Naidu highlighted the country's unique position in the global demographic landscape, describing India as having the "biggest advantage of demographic dividend".
Naidu also drew attention to the global aging crisis, pointing out the population challenges in countries like Japan, China, and some European nations.
"Japan is minus 8 per cent. It is an important issue for the survival of human beings," Naidu said.
"Aging problem has started in south India. Only two states -- Bihar and Uttar Pradesh -- have advantages in north India. We were thinking it is a disadvantage but it is an advantage now," he said.
Challenging the traditional family planning perspectives, Naidu revealed a personal policy shift.
"Even I used to advocate family planning as a challenge. Now, I am changing my views and promoting population growth," he said.
The chief minister also suggested a new approach for resource allocation, saying, "Wealth creation and population often conflict."
He proposed that "the government of India or the finance commission should promote population".
"Don't punish those who have aging problems today. Give incentives for more children," he said.
On concerns about delimitation, particularly those raised by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Naidu said, "All those things will be discussed. Sometimes some decisions are taken on the basis of assumptions. But sometimes all assumptions don't give dividends for the society. We have to change our views."
"We will work out how to keep everyone's sentiments in mind," Naidu said, positioning himself as a pioneer in "demographic management".
Clarifying his approach, Naidu added, "I did not say population promotion, but demographic management. If you do demographic management, sustainability of the economy will be there, and Indians will do a great job."
