Mumbai court junks bail plea of Baba Siddiqui murder accused, cites his prima facie role in crime

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) A special court in Mumbai has rejected the bail plea of a man arrested for the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddiqui last year, noting that his prima facie involvement in the crime has been established.

Special judge Mahesh Jadhav of the MCOCA court on August 5 said the accused, Chetan Dilip Paradhi, was a member of an organised crime syndicate and was aware that Siddiqui was going to be shot.

The court referred to the confessional statement of a co-accused who claimed gangster Anmol Bishnoi had deposited Rs 50,000 to arrange stay for two shooters who had come to Mumbai for killing Baba Siddiqui and his son Zeeshan, who was then an MLA.

As per the statement, Paradhi and other accused arranged stay for the shooters.

Paradhi knowingly became a member of an organised criminal gang and facilitated for the shooters to reside safely in Mumbai and also took them to Karjat, around 70km from the city, in adjoining Raigad district, to practice shooting, the court said.

The accused, in his bail plea, claimed innocence and argued that mere phone calls between him and the other accused in the case does not make him a part of an organised crime syndicate.

The prosecution claimed Paradhi had provided accommodation to the shooters and facilitated the crime.

Siddique (66), an NCP leader, 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.

As many as 26 arrested people have been chargesheeted in the case, while Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, and two others are wanted accused.

All the accused have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and are currently in jail under judicial custody. PTI SP RSY