The Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to Akashdeep Karaj Singh, one of the accused in the sensational murder of NCP leader and former MLA Baba Siddique, observing that there was no prima facie material to establish his role under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Justice Neela Gokhale, while passing the order, noted that although the offence was undoubtedly serious and allegedly involved an organised crime syndicate led by gangsters Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi, the evidence available against Singh was insufficient to deny bail under MCOCA at this stage.
“After perusing the prosecution evidence with regard to the applicant, this court is unable to form an opinion that there are reasonable grounds, at this stage, for believing that the accusations against the applicant of commission of the offence under the MCOCA are prima facie true,” the court said.
Baba Siddique (66) was gunned down on the night of October 12, 2024, outside the Bandra East office of his son Zeeshan Siddique. The prosecution alleges that the killing was carried out on the instructions of Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, to create terror and consolidate control over the organised crime network.
Singh, a 22-year-old resident of Punjab, was arrested in November 2024. A chargesheet filed in January 2026 named Anmol Bishnoi as the mastermind, currently shown as a wanted accused.
Granting Singh bail on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh, the court directed him not to leave Mumbai until the trial concludes. Justice Gokhale remarked that the case against Singh relied heavily on a single phone call allegedly made by him to a co-accused.
“One call cannot connect Singh with an organised crime syndicate, unless it clearly demonstrated that he had knowledge that the co-accused was engaged in the syndicate,” the judge observed.
The court also found that Singh’s name was absent in the confessional statements of two other accused, which detailed the roles of other participants in the crime. It further held that a bare allegation of making international calls to persons in Canada, without any supporting material, was insufficient to implicate him.
In his bail plea, Singh claimed he was falsely implicated and had no specific role in the crime. He said that his incarceration was unwarranted, especially since the trial was unlikely to commence soon, and prolonged detention without trial violated his fundamental rights.
So far, 26 people have been arrested in the case and are facing charges under MCOCA. Singh is the first among them to secure bail.
The case continues to attract significant public and legal scrutiny, given the high-profile victim and the alleged involvement of transnational crime networks.
