A special MCOCA court Friday gave bail to journalist Jigna Vora,arrested seven months ago for her alleged role in the murder of veteran crime reporter J Dey. Special MCOCA judge S M Modak gave bail to Vora against surety of Rs 1 lakh and two personal bonds. She will have to aide the probe,appear at the Crime Branch twice a month,and must not leave India,tamper with evidence or speak to the media,her lawyers said. Vora had moved the bail plea three months ago,pleading there was no strong evidence against her,and the case was based purely on circumstantial evidence. Her counsel emphasised that she was a single parent,with no one to take care of her minor son. Vora also has acute asthma. An investigating officer said,She (Vora) has spent seven months in jail. Her custody was essential and we had managed it in the initial stage. She is no hardened criminal. So this order has not come as a surprise. Police sources said they would not challenge the bail in the high court. Vora,who is lodged in Byculla jail,is likely to be freed early next week. Vora,deputy chief of bureau of The Asian Age,was arrested on November 25 last year. Two journalists are believed to have given statements against her before a Magistrate. Ten others Rohee Thangappan Joseph alias Satish Kalya,Abhijeet Shinde,Arun Dake,Sachin Gaikwad,Anil Waghmode,Nilesh Shendge,Mangesh Agawane,Vinod Asrani,Paulson Joseph and Deepak Sisodia were arrested before Vora. In her bail application,Vora said none of the witnesses who claimed to have spoken to gangster Chhota Rajan who allegedly informed them of Voras role have produced any record of the purported calls. The prosecution,which has cited professional rivalry as the reason for the murder,has alleged that Vora sent emails and made calls to Rajan,giving him vital details about Dey. But the forensic science laboratory,Kalina,told the court on July 23 that it did not have the wherewithal to extract data from the six handsets recovered from Vora. The Crime Branch has filed a main and a supplementary chargesheet against Vora.
