Mumbai, November 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Bombay High Court on Thursday upheld the murder conviction of Jitendra Rana, the prime accused in the 2011 double murder of Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes in Mumbai, but reduced his life sentence to 20 years in prison without remission. The court also acquitted two co-accused of murder charges for lack of evidence.
A division bench of Justice M.S. Karnik and Justice Sandesh Patil granted relief to Rana, alias Chaina, 40, by reducing his sentence “considering his age”. It upheld the sentences of co-accused Sunil Bhot, alias Chota, and Deepak Tival for other offences, while acquitting them of murder. The fourth accused, Satish Dulgaj, died last year while the appeals were pending.
The verdict came on appeals against a 2016 Special Women’s Court judgment that had sentenced all four accused to life imprisonment for the murders. Santos, 24, and Fernandes, 29, were attacked with weapons in Mumbai’s Amboli area in October 2011 after allegedly confronting men who were harassing their female friends during a party at Amboli Bar and Kitchen Restaurant in Andheri West.
During the appeal proceedings, defence lawyers Sudeep Pasbola and Yug Chaudhry argued that the alleged molestation incident had not occurred and that the prosecution had failed to establish the motive for the attack. They also contended that it was a mutual fight following grave and sudden provocation and should be treated as culpable homicide rather than murder.
Special Public Prosecutor Aabad Ponda opposed the defence arguments, citing witness statements, forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts to argue that the attack was premeditated. He submitted that after one of the accused was slapped, he left the scene threatening to kill and later returned with a knife, a cricket stump and a large bamboo stick. Ponda also told the court that Keenan suffered deep wounds from a sharp-edged weapon and died from excessive bleeding. Keenan died on the day of the attack, while Reuben succumbed to his injuries 10 days later.
The trial court had convicted the four accused in May 2016 of murder and several offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Bombay Police Act. Other charges included outraging the modesty of women, causing hurt with dangerous weapons, criminal intimidation and mischief.
The high-profile case sparked public outrage and witnessed several developments, including the murder of Avinash Bali, a key witness, in August 2018.
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