Bombay High Court rejects bail plea of accused in Baba Siddiqui murder case

The article reporting on the Bombay High Court's denial of bail to Paradhi was published, detailing the court's findings under MCOCA, the role of co-accused confessions and CDRs, and noting that Siddiqui’s wife intervened in the proceedings. The piece also references that 27 persons have been named in the case and that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is alleged to be involved in the conspiracy.

A single-judge bench of Justice Ravindra Joshi denied bail to Chetan Paradhi in the Baba Siddiqui murder case, finding prima facie material against him under MCOCA. The court explained that Section 21(4) of MCOCA requires the court to be satisfied that the accused has not committed the crime and will not commit it if released, and that the prima facie evidence and the antecedents against Paradhi did not meet this standard. The court noted Paradhi was named in a co-accused’s statement and there was material suggesting his knowledge of the conspiracy; the Call Data Records showed he remained in contact with the co-accused after such disclosure, which the court deemed incriminating. The prosecution argued that confessional statements of co-accused (including a Section 18 confession) and arguments from Siddiqui’s wife’s counsel supported Paradhi’s knowledge of the crime.

Baba Siddiqui, then a Maharashtra Minister, was killed in Mumbai's Bandra area when three assailants fired six bullets as he was about to enter his car after meeting his son Zeeshan in Bandra East. He died from injuries to the abdomen and chest. The prosecution has alleged that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang conspired to kill Siddiqui, and a total of 27 persons have been named in the case.