Dey murder: Journalist Jigna Vora seeks in-camera trial

Journalist Jigna Vora, arrested in connection with the murder of senior scribe Jyotirmoy Dey on Tuesday moved the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court in Mumbai seeking in-camera trial in the case.

"Vora has filed an application seeking in-camera trial in the case. She has also sought that the media should be totally restrained or it should reveal the source of the stories," said special public prosecutor Dileep Shah. However, it was argued in the court that there is no provision under MCOCA seeking a media gag, he said.

Vora, deputy chief of bureau of Asian Age, was arrested on November 25 under MCOCA on charges of providing key information like supplying licence plate number of the motorcycle and address of the slain journalist, to gangster Chhota Rajan. His aide Rohee Thangappan Joseph was arrested earlier and remanded from time to time in police and judicial custody.

 The police, on December 3, had filed chargesheet against arrested accused -- Joseph alias Satish Kalya, Abhijeet Shinde, Arun Dake, Sachin Gaikwad, Anil Waghmode, Nilesh Shendge, Mangesh Agawane, Vinod Asrani, Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia.

Apparently, Rajan was upset with two articles written by Dey, which portrayed him in bad light, and hence by murdering the journalist, he wanted to send a message to the media that those who write against him would be targeted, the police said.

Vora had instigated the overseas-based underworld don to kill Dey due to professional rivalry, according to the 3,055-page chargesheet.

A supplementary chargesheet would be filed at a later date against Vora, the eleventh arrested accused in the case.