The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Mumbai Police to file a detailed response to a petition by Shehzeen Siddique, wife of late former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into his murder.
A bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and R.R. Bhonsale asked the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) and the investigating officer to submit affidavits addressing the allegations made in the petition. The court has fixed the matter for hearing on December 11, directing the police to produce the case diary of the probe on the next date.
The direction came after confusion arose over whether the statement of Siddique’s son, Zeeshan, had been formally recorded. While the police maintained that they were in touch with Zeeshan, the petitioner’s counsel, advocates Pradip Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, asserted that his statement had not been recorded.
Rejecting verbal assurances, the bench told the state’s counsel, “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.”
When Special Public Prosecutor Mahesh Mule said the police had WhatsApp chats and call records with Zeeshan, the bench replied, “He is in contact or not, we are not concerned. Show us legally admissible evidence. This is a crime investigation.”
Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead on October 12, 2024, outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Bandra by three assailants. The incident sent shockwaves through political and business circles in Mumbai.
In her plea, Shehzeen Siddique alleged that the police had failed to identify and arrest the real conspirators behind the killing. She accused the investigating team of “deliberately protecting a builder-developer and political nexus” involved in the crime.
She contended that the police had wrongly attributed the conspiracy to Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, to shield those actually responsible.
According to the prosecution, Anmol Bishnoi allegedly conspired to murder Siddique to assert dominance over Mumbai’s criminal network. The police filed a chargesheet in January 2025, naming 26 accused and showing Bishnoi as a wanted accused.
All 26 arrested individuals have been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and remain in judicial custody.
The widow has sought constitution of a Special Investigation Team to ensure an impartial probe, claiming that the present investigation is biased and incomplete.
The High Court will now examine the police’s affidavits and case diary on December 11 before deciding whether to direct further investigation or consider an SIT probe.
