HC grants bail to Ravi Pujari gang member in Gajalee Hotel firing case

Bombay HC granted bail to Dinanath Jaiswal, linked to a 2016 hotel shooting. After 7.5 years in custody, insufficient evidence led to his release.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on Monday granted bail to a man arrested in connection with the 2016 firing at Gajalee Hotel in Vile Parle, a popular seafood eatery. The man was associated with the organised crime syndicate led by notorious gangster Ravi Pujari and faced serious charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).

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He faced serious charges, including criminal conspiracy and attempted murder, and was arrested in connection with a 2016 incident involving a threat and gunfire at a hotel in Vile Parle. After spending over seven and a half years in custody, the court found insufficient evidence to justify his continued detention, aligning his case with that of other co-accused who have already been released on bail.

The case dates to October 21, 2016, when a manager at Gajalee Hotel in Vile Parle reported receiving a threat from an assailant, who allegedly fired a pistol at him. Subsequent investigations revealed that the attackers were part of an organised crime syndicate led by Ravi Pujari. Dinanath Nandan Jaiswal was arrested on February 20, 2017, as a co-conspirator accused of supplying firearms to the principal offenders.

During the proceedings, advocate Deepak K., representing Jaiswal argued that he was not present at the scene during the incident and that there was insufficient evidence to establish his involvement in the conspiracy. Furthermore, he noted that several co-accused, including Mritunjay Narayan Das—who allegedly fired the weapon—had already been granted bail, thereby warranting similar treatment for Jaiswal.

Additional public prosecutor HJ Dedhia opposed the bail application, citing two strong incriminating circumstances: the applicant’s discovery leading to the recovery of a pistol with live cartridges, and a confessional statement under Section 18 of the MCOC Act, which allows for the admissibility of confessions made to police officers in organised crime cases, directly implicating him in the offences charged.

Justice NJ Jamadar noticed that Jaiswal had been in custody for over seven and a half years. He noted that the rationale for granting bail to Jaiswal’s co-accused equally applied to him. The court found no substantial distinction in the roles assigned to Jaiswal and those of the individuals who had been released on bail, particularly emphasising that the severity of the allegations did not warrant his continued arrest.

Consequently, the court granted bail to Jaiswal, stipulating that he must furnish a personal recognizance bond of ₹1,00,000, along with one or more sureties of the same amount.