Baba Siddiqui file photo
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the city police to respond to a petition filed by Shehzeen Siddique, wife of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in October last year, seeking an SIT probe into his killing.
The widow, in her plea filed last week, said the police had failed to bring the real culprits to book and alleged a builder/developer and political nexus behind her husband's killing.
She demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up for a probe into the killing.
Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead by three assailants outside his son Zeeshan's office in Mumbai's Bandra area on the night of October 12, 2024.
A bench of Justices A S Gadkari and R R Bhonsale on Tuesday directed the joint commissioner of police (Crime) and the investigation officer concerned to file their affidavits to the petition and posted the matter for hearing on December 11.
The court also sought the police to produce the case diary of the probe on the next date, after there was some confusion on whether the statement of Zeeshan Siddique was recorded.
While the police claimed that they had been in touch with Zeeshan, the petitioner's lawyers, Pradip Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, said his statement was not recorded.
"Show us the case diary. You say the statement of Zeeshan is recorded. He says it is not yet recorded. Support it with a case diary," the HC said, while rejecting the police's verbal assurance.
When the state's Special Public Prosecutor Mahesh Mule submitted that the police had been in touch with Zeeshan "many times" and had WhatsApp chats and call records to show for it, the bench remarked, "He is in contact or not, we are not concerned. Show us legally admissible evidence. This is a crime investigation."
Shehzeen Siddique, in her plea, alleged that the police have intentionally avoided arresting the real culprits in the case by claiming the killing was ordered by Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
She also said that she has a strong suspicion about the involvement of the builder lobby and a political leader behind her husband's death.
In January this year, the police filed a chargesheet and Anmol Bishnoi was shown as a wanted accused in it.
As per the prosecution, Anmol Bishnoi hatched a conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique to instil fear and dominance over the crime syndicate.
As many as 26 arrested persons have been charge-sheeted in the case. All of them have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and are currently in judicial custody.