J Dey murder case: Journalist denies statement; declared hostile

A senior journalist and acquaintance of mid-day investigations editor J Dey deposed in court on Thursday in connection with his murder case. He, however, denied most of his statement given to the CBI, and was declared hostile by the prosecution

J Dey

A senior journalist and acquaintance of mid-day investigations editor J Dey deposed in court on Thursday in connection with his murder case. He, however, denied most of his statement given to the CBI, and was declared hostile by the prosecution.

The prosecution claims that the journalist, in his statement, had said he had interviewed dreaded gangster Chhota Rajan while working for a television channel. When special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat questioned him about this statement, the journalist denied saying any of it.

During his cross-examination, the journalist had said that he, Rajan's aide, Vinod Asrani and Dey used to go out for drinks often, and met for the last time 11 days prior to being shot. He had allegedly said that Dey had expressed his suspicion over the change in location at the last meeting — they apparently used to go to a watering hole in Chembur, but on that day, Asrani called them to another joint at Mulund — as well as Asrani's delayed arrival. Yesterday, the journalist denied saying this.

Gharat then questioned him about his statement that when they reached Uma Palace at Mulund on May 27, 2011, they saw two persons (assumed to be the shooters) on the footpath, and that Asrani waved at Dey, called out his name and hugged him. The journalist denied this, too, claiming that he reaching the bar a few minutes after Asrani's arrival.

After examining him, the special public prosecutor declared the journalist hostile.

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