The four – Rajan, Jayashree Rahate, Deepak Natvarlal Shah and Lalitha Lakshmanan – pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Rahate, Shah and Lakshmanan are retired officials from Bengaluru passport division.
A special CBI court at the Patiala House District Courts framed charges against underworld don Chhota Rajan and three others on Friday.
The four – Rajan, Jayashree Rahate, Deepak Natvarlal Shah and Lalitha Lakshmanan – pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Rahate, Shah and Lakshmanan are retired officials from Bengaluru passport division.
The court has charged the accused under sections 120-B, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that deal with criminal conspiracy, cheating, cheating by impersonation and forgery of documents. The four have also been charged under section 13(2) read with 13 (1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
Except Rajan, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, all other accused persons are out on bail. Stating that Rajan has been in continued judicial custody, special CBI judge Vinod Kumar ordered that trial would be held on a daily basis, starting from July 11.
In its charge sheet that was filed in February 2, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that Rajan fraudulently obtained a fake passport from Bengaluru in 1998-1999 in connivance with Rahate, Shah and Lakshmanan. The CBI accused the three officials of knowingly conspiring and issuing a fake passport (A6705840 dated 01.01.1999) in the name of Mohan Kumar on the basis of false and forged documents, thereby aiding Rajan in concealing his identity.
In its supplementary charge sheet, filed on May 2, the CBI further alleged that Rajan used this fake passport to leave the country more than 20 years ago. Investigations revealed that this fake passport was further submitted at Indian consulates in Zimbabwe and Australia for renewal.
The investigation agency said Rajan was detained by Indonesian authorities at Bali airport with a fake passport that was issued in Australia under the pseudonym Mohan Kumar. He was detained on the basis of a Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued by Interpol on the request of Indian authorities in 1995.
Based on the facts submitted, the CBI has further charged all the four accused under section 12 of the Passport Act, which was accepted by the judge.
Once a close aide of notorious gangster Dawood Ibrahim, Rajan parted ways with the D-Company after the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai. On the run for close to 27 years, he was arrested by the Interpol in October 2015. He was deported to India on November 6, 2015 and has been in Tihar Jail ever since. Rajan is facing trial in more than 70 cases that include extortion, murder and drug smuggling.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Chhota Rajan")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}