The Bombay High Court has granted bail to gangster Chhota Rajan on Wednesday, suspending his life sentence in the Jaya Shetty murder case. Shetty, who was the owner of the Golden Crown hotel in south Mumbai, was shot dead on May 4, 2001, by two unidentified gunmen.

As part of the bail conditions, the court directed Rajan, currently held at Tihar Jail in Delhi, to provide a personal bond of ₹1 lakh along with sureties of the same amount.

This case is among 71 others that were transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following Rajan’s deportation from Indonesia in 2015. In May, a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) found Rajan guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. This is Rajan’s second life sentence, as he is already serving one for the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, for which he has not received bail.

The prosecution alleged that Shetty was murdered for refusing to pay a ransom. Despite being granted security by the Mumbai police, that protection was withdrawn just two months before his death. After the shooting, the hotel’s manager and another employee were able to chase down the attackers and apprehend one of them.

Special Judge A.M. Patil convicted Rajan of several charges, including murder under Section 302 and criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as violations under the MCOCA and the Arms Act. Following his conviction, Rajan appealed to the Bombay High Court.

On Wednesday, Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj K. Chavan of the Bombay High Court suspended Rajan’s sentence while his appeal is under consideration. The court noted, “The execution of sentences imposed by the special court in the MCOCA case is suspended pending the appeal.”

The special court had also convicted co-accused individuals Ajay Mohite, Pramod Dhonde, and Rahul Pansare in connection with the murder. In the aftermath of the crime, Rajan’s associate Hemant Pujari reportedly threatened Shetty’s family for ransom; he remains at large and is considered a wanted suspect.