In a major jolt to the prosecution in the J Dey murder case, a special Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Friday granted bail to accused scribe Jigna Vora.
In a hearing that was closed to media and Jigna's family, special Judge S M Modak granted bail to the journalist eight months after she was arrested in November. She is unlikely to be released from prison until Monday.
While granting bail, the court took into consideration the fact that she has a child and is a single parent. "She does not have a criminal record. Moreover, the evidence against her would not hold in court. Even the forensic laboratory failed to retrieve details of calls allegedly made by Jigna from her mobile phone to fugitive don Chhota Rajan, who was claimed to have ordered Dey's killing," a defence lawyer said.
Jigna was granted bail on a cash surety of Rs 1 lakh and personal surety. The court has directed Jigna to report to the crime branch twice a month and submit her passport to the police. She has also been directed not to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. "The court has restrained her from speaking to the media," an officer said.
On Monday, the prosecution had told the court that the forensic lab could not retrieve certain text messages allegedly deleted by Jigna from her mobiles.
The forensic science laboratory (FSL) of Kalina submitted that it lacked the equipment and software to retrieve the deleted data. The police are still awaiting the forensic report of a laptop and a few other cellphones. Even the email details requested from Google are yet to arrive from the US.
Jigna had moved court for bail in March on the grounds that the case had no strong evidence against her and was based on circumstantial evidence. Her lawyer had also told the court that she suffered from acute asthma and other ailments.
Jigna's mother, who was waiting outside the court room, burst into tears and expressed relief when she heard the order.