The Bombay High Court Monday granted bail to Akashdeep Karaj Singh, one of the accused in the murder of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique. Singh was arrested in November 2024 in a border village in Punjab.
Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12, 2024, outside the office of his son and former MLA Zeeshan Siddique in Bandra (East) by three assailants.
Singh approached the Bombay High Court after a sessions court rejected his bail plea on July 19, 2025.
This is the first bail granted to any accused in the Baba Siddique murder case.
A single-judge bench, led by Justice Neela K Gokhale, granted him bail with several conditions. Singh must report to the Mumbai police every alternate Monday, cannot leave Maharashtra or India without the trial court’s permission, provide a local surety, deposit his passport, and share his contact details with the investigating officer, according to the court.
The court clarified that the bail order, issued with “stringent conditions,” applies only to Singh, keeping all other contentions open. If he violates any condition, the prosecution may seek cancellation of his bail, and the competent court must act immediately.
As per the police, Singh, who hails from a village in Punjab’s Fazilka, allegedly played an active role in conspiring to kill Siddique.
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Advocates Abhishek Yende, Surbhi Agrawal, and Shubham Kahite, who represented Singh, argued that the chargesheet contained no incriminating material directly linking him to the crime. They said the allegations against Singh were “vague and baseless”, and noted that the prosecution failed to provide primary evidence establishing his active participation.
The lawyers also argued that the prosecution failed to produce primary evidence or establish Singh’s active participation in the case to invoke the stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
His lawyers also argued that Singh was being prosecuted as a member of an organised crime syndicate run by the wanted accused, but no specific acts were attributed to him in this case. They claimed the prosecution failed to prove any connection between Singh and gang leader Anmol Bishnoi alias Bhaiji, or any role in planning the conspiracy with the other accused.
Singh’s plea argued that he was prosecuted for being a member of an organised crime syndicate run by the wanted accused, but no specific acts were attributed to him in the present case.
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The plea also claimed the prosecution failed to establish any link between Singh and Anmol Bishnoi, or any connection showing that the conspiracy was hatched by Singh and the other accused with Bishnoi.
The lawyers also submitted that the mere allegation by one of the witnesses in the case that Singh used his phone, connected his hotspot, and made several calls, “clearly does not conclude that the applicant contacted the main accused, much less any co-accused person.”
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Mahesh Sule, representing the Mumbai police, opposed the bail plea.
Last year, Shehzeen Siddique, the widow of the late NCP leader, approached the Bombay High Court, seeking a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or an independent agency. Her plea is pending before the Bombay High Court.
Omkar Gokhale is a journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates exceptionally strong Expertise and Authority in legal and judicial reporting, making him a highly Trustworthy source for developments concerning the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court in relation to Maharashtra and its key institutions.
Expertise & Authority
Affiliation: Reports for The Indian Express, a national newspaper known for its rigorous journalistic standards, lending significant Trustworthiness to his legal coverage.
Core Authority & Specialization: Omkar Gokhale's work is almost exclusively dedicated to the complex field of legal affairs and jurisprudence, specializing in:
Bombay High Court Coverage: He provides detailed, real-time reports on the orders, observations, and decisions of the Bombay High Court's principal and regional benches. Key subjects include:
Fundamental Rights & Environment: Cases on air pollution, the right to life of residents affected by dumping sites, and judicial intervention on critical infrastructure (e.g., Ghodbunder Road potholes).
Civil & Criminal Law: Reporting on significant bail orders (e.g., Elgaar Parishad case), compensation for rail-related deaths, and disputes involving high-profile individuals (e.g., Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty).
Constitutional and Supreme Court Matters: Reports and analysis on key legal principles and Supreme Court warnings concerning Maharashtra, such as those related to local body elections, reservations, and the creamy layer verdict.
Governance and Institution Oversight: Covers court rulings impacting public bodies like the BMC (regularisation of illegal structures) and the State Election Commission (postponement of polls), showcasing a focus on judicial accountability.
Legal Interpretation: Reports on public speeches and observations by prominent judicial figures (e.g., former Chief Justice B. R. Gavai) on topics like free speech, gender equality, and institutional challenges.
Omkar Gokhale's consistent, focused reporting on the judiciary establishes him as a definitive and authoritative voice for legal developments originating from Mumbai and impacting the entire state of Maharashtra. ... Read More
