Mumbai: Observing that jailed gangster Chhota Rajan faces multiple MCOCA cases and has previous convictions, including one in which he is serving life imprisonment, a special CBI court this week rejected his bail plea in a 20-year-old case where he was accused of smuggling a cache of arms, concealed in grease drums, through the Nhava Sheva port.It said the prosecution has already examined 45 witnesses and the trial is expected to conclude in the next few months as only a few witnesses remain. “All important witnesses have been examined by the prosecution… Under such circumstances, the applicant is not entitled for bail,” the judge said. Rajan (69) will continue to remain in Tihar jail, where he is serving a life sentence for the murder of journalist J Dey in 2011. The 2005 arms case against Rajan and others was among the 71 that were transferred to CBI after he was deported from Bali in 2015.An accused, Mukund Patel, was arrested near Kandivli station in May 2005 with a loaded revolver. Patel’s disclosure led police to a container at the port, where 34 revolvers, three pistols, a silencer and 1,283 live cartridges were found in a drum. The prosecution alleged that these weapons were imported by Bharat Nepali, an alleged henchman of Rajan.Rajan’s advocate said there was no evidence linking Rajan with the charges. The defence said Rajan has been in judicial custody since Oct 2015 and his right to a speedy trial has been violated. The defence also questioned the validity of sanction under MCOCA, terming it vague, mechanical and “non-speaking” in nature. Special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat said there is sufficient evidence in the chargesheet to link Rajan with the other accused. He said the officer who interrogated Rajan had identified and confirmed his voice in intercepted conversations from Sept 2005. He said the trial is at the evidence stage and is likely to conclude soon. “[Rajan] absconded for more than 10 years and if bail is granted, there is every possibility that [he] would flee. Also, there is a possibility of influencing witnesses,” he said.