Nearly 35 years after the infamous JJ Hospital shootout, in which gangster Shailesh Haldankar, another patient, and two on-duty constables were shot dead, a special court on Tuesday rejected the fourth bail application of Mohd Farooque Yasin Mansoor (65), who has spent over eight years in custody in the case, while directing that the trial be held twice a week to ensure its expeditious conclusion.
Special judge Satyanarayan Navander acknowledged that Mansoor’s prolonged incarceration raised serious concerns over his constitutional right to a speedy trial, but held that the circumstances did not warrant his release. Mansoor is accused of providing shelter to the assailants at his residence, including Subhashsingh Thakur, Sunil Sawant, Brijesh Singh and another accused identified as Pradhan, and facilitating their escape. His age and medical ailments were also cited as grounds for bail. Opposing the plea, special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves argued that the case involved multiple murders and a conspiracy attracting stringent provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) .
He was initially shown as a wanted accused in the charge sheet and arrested in April 2018 after remaining absconding for several years. His lawyer, Smita Sonawane, submitted that no witness were examined between November 10, 2025, and July 15, 2026, and that the number of witnesses yet to be examined made an early conclusion of the trial unlikely. She argued that keeping the 65-year-old behind bars for more than eight years without meaningful progress violated his right to a speedy trial.
In his latest application, Mansoor argued that the trial had made little progress despite an earlier direction for its expeditious disposal. He also pointed to Mansoor’s prolonged absconding and the incriminating evidence emerging from earlier proceedings arising out of the same incident.
The case relates to the September 12, 1992 shootout at the state-run Sir JJ Hospital .
Members of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s gang stormed the hospital and opened fire on Haldankar, an alleged member of the Arun Gawli gang, who was admitted there under police guard, according to the prosecution.
