Kasab, Hasan Ali, Shiney cases dominate Maharashtra legal scene

Mumbai: Confirmation of death sentence to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, trial of Pune businessman Hasan Ali Khan for money laundering, conviction of actor Shiney Ahuja for raping his maid and sentencing of actress Maria Susairaj in Neeraj Grover murder case dominated the legal scene in Maharashtra in 2011.

Other important cases which hogged the limelight were the Best Bakery, TISS rape, Adarsh Commission proceedings to determine legality of Adarsh Housing Society and Jet-Sahara legal battle.

A case involving filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar where he was accused of raping actor Preiti Jain and the J Dey murder were also the focus of media attention.

The Bombay High Court on February 21 confirmed death penalty to Kasab, the lone living 26/11 terrorist, terming the case as "rarest of rare" and holding there was "no scope of reform" of the convict. The court upheld his conviction on all charges including multiple murders, conspiracy and waging war against the nation.

Kasab appealed against the high court verdict in the Supreme Court which on October 10 stayed the death sentence and decided to hear his appeal expeditiously. The matter would be heard on a day-to-day basis from January onwards.

Hasan Ali Khan, arrested in a money-laundering case, got bail from the high court on August 12 but the Supreme Court cancelled it on September 30, saying "order of the high court needs to be interfered with".

The high court had granted bail to Khan, accused of having stashed USD 800 million in Swiss banks, saying Enforcement Directorate had no material to prove that the wealth amassed by him was proceeds of crime.

Actor Ahuja, who was in the prime of his career, was found guilty on March 30 by a fast track court of raping his maid in his house and sentenced to seven years' RI although the victim had turned hostile during the trial.

The court said it was relying on circumstantial evidence -- the DNA report was positive, the hymen was torn, there were blood marks on victim's clothes, semen was found on quilt and curtains and Shiney's hand bore scratch marks caused by the victim.

Ahuja challenged his conviction in the Bombay High Court which granted him bail on April 27.

Bhandarkar found himself in the dock when a magistrate issued process against him on September 19 on a rape complaint by actress Jain, observing that a prima facie case was made out.

He challenged the order in the high court which issued notices to the actress and the prosecution. The matter is yet to be decided. If the court rules against him, Bhandarkar would have to face the trial. Preeti has alleged sexual assault by Bhandarkar on promise of marrying her.

In a case that sent shockwaves in the city, J Dey, Editor (Investigations) of tabloid Mid-day, was shot dead in broad daylight on June 11 in suburban Powai. On December 5, police filed a charge sheet against 12 accused, including fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan, in a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court.

On November 25, Deputy Chief of Bureau of Asian Age Jigna Vora was arrested for aiding and abetting the murder of Dey due to professional rivalry.

The charge sheet, running into 3,055 pages, did not name Vora. A separate supplementary chargesheet, elaborating her role in the crime, will be filed later, according to police.

In another important case, former Navy officer Emile Jerome and his girlfriend Susairaj, a Kannada actress, were on July 1 awarded rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and three years respectively by a Mumbai court in the sensational murder of TV executive Neeraj Grover. Maria walked out of jail as she had completed three years sentence in prison.