"Criminals have a desire to promote themselves," the special MCOCA court here observed while awarding life term to gangster Chhota Rajan and eight others for killing journalist J Dey in 2011.
During the sentencing yesterday, there were murmurs in the court among the defence advocates on whether Rajan's extra judicial confession to some mediapersons over phone was adequate to prove that Dey's killing was a result of a conspiracy hatched by him along with the rest of the convicts.
In his 599-page judgement, Judge Sameer Adkar explained what might have led Rajan to make the phone calls to some journalists that ultimately led to his conviction.
Judge Adkar said Rajan was apparently irked with Dey's writings on his diminishing clout in the underworld. He, therefore, chose to announce to some mediapersons that he had got Dey killed, hoping that it would be perceived as a show of his strength, or a warning to others.
"It may be appropriate to answer one question which should arise in the mind of every prudent person - 'Why criminals phone (call) to the media and claim responsibility for the crime committed by them'?" the judge said.
"The answer to this question is not that difficult. Most often, such calls are made to gain attention. Most people like being seen as an authority and getting the attention that makes them feel important," he observed.
Additionally, a criminal or an accused may want to give his side of a story if he feels that he is being misrepresented as he would not like it if he is put in a false light, judge Adkar said in his judgement.
"It could also be because criminals have a desire to promote themselves. They may not be paid for the interview but they also do not have to pay to the journalist either. It is an easy way of generating publicity," he noted.
The judge said a criminal would be fairly confident that he will never be caught afterwards as he feels he is untouchable. "Some may not see themselves as criminals but as misunderstood, hard workers being oppressed by the system."