Baba Siddique murder: Court raps Mumbai police, asks to take steps to secure Anmol Bishnoi’s presence for trial

4 min readMumbaiJul 10, 2026 10:08 PM IST

Baba Siddique's wife, Shehzeen, had filed a plea before the court last week, seeking clarity on why no steps were taken to take custody of Anmol Bishnoi. (File photo)

In the Baba Siddique murder case, the special court on Friday rapped the Mumbai Police for its inaction in interrogating main wanted accused gangster Anmol Bishnoi, even though he is in custody in Delhi since his deportation last year. The court directed the police to take all necessary steps lawfully available to procure Anmol’s custody and secure his presence before it.

“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. It is indeed an unfortunate situation that this Court is required to issue directions to ensure compliance with the procedure expressly prescribed by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) securing the presence of an absconding accused,” the court said.

Siddique, a former minister and NCP leader, was shot dead outside the office of his son, former MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East on October 12, 2024. His wife, Shehzeen, had filed a plea before the court last week, seeking clarity on why no steps were taken to take custody of Anmol, who was deported in November 2025 from the US.

“…the investigating agency has admittedly made no effort whatsoever to secure the presence of the absconding accused,” special judge S R Navander said. The court said that the police had not tried to seek Anmol’s custody nor begun proceedings to seek a warrant against him, even as he was named a wanted accused in the chargesheet. The police claim that Siddique was murdered on Anmol Bishnoi’s instructions because of his close association with actor Salman Khan and to establish the supremacy of the Bishnoi gang. The court said that the police are aware that Anmol is in Tihar jail and it’s their legal obligation to now take steps to procure his custody.

The police had told court that Anmol cannot be physically brought to the Mumbai court as the Central government has passed an order under section 303 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), for a year, under which Anmol cannot be removed from the jail for a year. The court said that only on this ground the proceedings cannot be indefinitely postponed, against the principal accused, even as the trial against 27 others is set to begin.

“We are living in an era of advanced digital technology. Video conferencing has become an integral part of the judicial process and is being regularly utilised by Trial Courts as well as correctional institutions throughout the country…. Therefore, if the accused continues to remain in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, there is no legal impediment to secure his production before this Court through video conferencing, whenever required,” the court said. It added that Anmol can be formally arrested and interrogated even while he remains in jail, after taking permission of the court in Delhi.

“Unfortunately, the investigating agency appears to have completely overlooked these lawful avenues available to it,” the court said.

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Siddiqui’s wife in her plea filed through her lawyers Pradip Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, had alleged the investigating agency has failed to pursue the alleged larger conspiracy behind the murder and is ‘avoiding’ taking custody of Anmol despite identifying him as the main conspirator.

The court said it was refraining from attributing any motive to the investigating agency. “However, its inaction and failure to adopt the remedies available under law are clearly apparent from the record,” the court said, stating that a joint trial of the accused is better than separate delayed proceedings, where with prolonged passage of time, evidence may weaken.

Last month, Anmol himself moved a plea expressing his willingness to surrender in the April 2024 firing case outside actor Salman Khan’s residence, as the police also did not seek his custody in the case. However, he had not sought to surrender in the Baba Siddique murder case.

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