Baba Siddique murder: Court raps Mumbai police over failure to secure Anmol Bishnoi's custody

Mumbai, Jul 10 ( PTI) A special court on Friday pulled up the city police for failing to take custody of jailed gangster Anmol Bishnoi in the Baba Siddique murder case, directing them to initiate all legal steps to secure his presence. Special MCOCA Judge Satyanarayan R Navander, who was hearing a plea by the slain NCP leader's family, stated that the court is not expected to remind the police of their duties in a serious murder case. The court demanded a strict compliance report by July 24. "Securing the custody of an accused, conducting investigation, interrogating the accused and placing him on trial are the exclusive responsibilities of the investigating agency and the law enforcement authorities," the court said. The judge underlined that the court "is not expected to remind the investigating agency of its statutory duties, particularly in a prosecution relating to a serious offence of murder". Siddique (66), a former Maharashtra minister, was shot dead by three assailants outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra East area on the night of October 12, 2024. Anmol, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was deported from the US in November last year and was subsequently arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is currently lodged in Tihar jail in New Delhi. The Siddique family moved court last week seeking directions to the police to take Bishnoi's custody, alleging that they were avoiding it due to “external pressure”. Coming down heavily on the police, the special judge stated that "it is indeed an unfortunate situation" that the court is required to issue directions for securing the presence of an absconding accused. The investigating agency submitted a written reply denying the allegations of deliberate evasion. The agency stated it is ready to take physical custody of Bishnoi if permitted by law, but cited operational hurdles. The judge, however, noted that the accused can be formally arrested in the present case with the permission of the competent court. It also pointed out that if necessary, the accused can be interrogated while remaining in judicial custody after obtaining appropriate permission from the court concerned in Delhi. "Unfortunately, the investigating agency appears to have completely overlooked these lawful avenues available to it," the court remarked. The judge directed the investigating agency to scrupulously follow the procedures prescribed under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to secure Bishnoi's presence. PTI AVI ARU