Not enough evidence to detain Jigna Vora: Court

There isn’t sufficient evidence to support the prosecution’s allegation that Jigna Vora crossed her limits as a journalist, a special court observed in the order while granting her bail.

There isn’t sufficient evidence to support the prosecution’s allegation that Jigna Vora crossed her limits as a journalist, a special court observed in the order while granting her bail.

HT Image

Vora, the former deputy chief of bureau of a city-based English newspaper, is the 11th accused in senior journalist J Dey’s murder case. Vora was arrested on November 25 last year. She was granted bail on July 27 on surety of Rs 1 lakh, but is yet to be released as the process of verification of the surety is still on.

Vora was admitted to state-run JJ Hospital on Thursday evening. Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ Hospital, said that she is suffering from asthma.

The crime branch had alleged that Vora got in touch with underworld don Chhota Rajan to instigate him against Dey, following which the gangster ordered his killing. Vora is also accused of passing on information about Dey to Rajan and his men, which were allegedly used them to track Dey.

However, while granting bail to Vora, the court, constituted under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, observed, “This case involves close scrutiny of the conduct of the accused, she being a newspaper journalist, and whether she has crossed her limit.”

The court has also not considered the allegation that she was desperately trying to contact Rajan. It said that even if the statement of witnesses stating how desperately she was trying to contact the wanted accused Chhota Rajan is considered, the period mentioned doesn’t support the allegation of Vora transgressing her journalistic limits.

The court has refused to accept the statement of the witnesses to whom Rajan had allegedly spoken to about Vora’s role. “I am not inclined to accept the disclosures based on the communication by the wanted accused,” the court order notes.