Mumbai:
Six months after the shocking murder of senior journalist J Dey, Mumbai police filed the first chargesheet in the case on Saturday. The 3000-page chargesheet names 10 people including fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan and journalist Jigna Vora.
Though the chargesheet names Jigna Vora, it is doesn't mention the role played by the scribe in the murder. Mumbai police say a supplementary chargsheet will be filed later on detailing her role in the case.
Ms Vora's role has already raised controversial questions about how close a journalist should get to her sources. Ms Vora has admitted she used to speak regularly to Chhota Rajan and had discussed J Dey in these conversations.
The chargesheet also names Rohee Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kaliya (34), the sharpshooter of the Chhota Rajan Gang who allegedly shot J Dey and other alleged members of the underworld don's hit squad - Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad and Anil Waghmode who did a recce of the parking lot where Mr Dey used to keep his bike.
"It contains evidence in the form of statements of witnesses, forensic and ballistic reports, reports of chemical analysers, medical reports and post-mortem reports and also extensive technical evidence in the form of mobile printouts etc," said Himanshu Roy, Joint Commissioner, Crime.
The chargesheet includes the testimony of 176 witnesses including local journalists and people who saw Mr Dey being gunned down in broad light near his residence in Powai area of Mumbai on June 11.
And while the chargesheet sets the grounds on which the case will be tried, convincing the court will be the big test for the Mumbai police.