Mumbai: Ten days after the trial court took note of the police inaction to secure the presence of absconding accused, including Anmol Bishnoi, in the murder case of senior NCP leader and former minister Baba Siddique, the prosecution submitted a plea seeking the production of the alleged gangster.Bishnoi, alleged to be the main accused at whose behest the murder took place, is currently lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail following his deportation from the US in November last year. Consequently, on Monday, the court issued the warrant and also directed the issuance of a request letter to the court concerned regarding it. The prosecution also filed an application for the issuance of a proclamation against wanted accused Shubham Lonkar alias Shubbu, which the court also allowed.On July 10, the court directed the crime branch to “scrupulously follow the law” to secure Bishnoi’s presence.Siddique was shot dead on October 12, 2024, by three assailants in Bandra, outside the office of his son Zeeshan.Calling it unfortunate that the court has to issue directions to ensure compliance with procedure, special judge Satyanaran R Navander said: “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.” It sought a compliance report after two weeks.The order came on a plea filed by Siddique’s wife Shehzeen, who alleged that the prosecution was deliberately avoiding taking the principal accused into custody. Advocates Pradip Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, appearing for Shehzeen, argued that the police must take immediate steps to arrest Bishnoi and put him on trial alongside the 27 other accused who have already been chargesheeted under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. The plea alleged that police were avoiding taking his custody to prevent the names of the “actual” conspirators from coming out.After his deportation, Bishnoi was taken into custody in a 2022 case over an alleged nexus between criminal gangs in India and Babbar Khalsa International, a terrorist organisation, to raise funds, recruit youths and carry out terror strikes.
