The Bombay High Court on Monday delivered a significant order in the murder case of former MLA Baba Siddique, granting bail to accused Akashdeep Karaj Singh. Akashdeep, a resident of Punjab, has become the first accused in the case to be released on bail.
A bench headed by Justice Neela Gokhale clarified that the bail granted to Akashdeep would not have any bearing on the bail pleas of the other accused in the case. The court imposed stringent conditions, directing the accused to report to the concerned police station on every alternate Monday. He has also been restrained from leaving the state without prior permission of the trial court and has been ordered to surrender his passport.
Twenty-one-year-old Akashdeep Singh was arrested from Fazilka district in Punjab in a joint operation conducted by the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force. He was the 24th accused to be arrested in the case. So far, more than 27 accused have been taken into custody in connection with the murder.
Investigating agencies had claimed that Akashdeep acted as a link between the shooters and members of the Bishnoi gang involved in the conspiracy. According to the police, his name surfaced during the interrogation of other accused.
However, defence lawyers argued that there was no concrete evidence against Akashdeep. They contended that the prosecution was relying only on call records with one accused, which dated back to much before the incident and did not establish any direct connection with the murder.
During the hearing, the High Court questioned the prosecution about the specific role attributed to Akashdeep and the material evidence against him. After examining the available documents and submissions, the court observed that granting bail at this stage would not hamper the investigation and accordingly ordered his release.
It may be recalled that Baba Siddique, a three-time Congress MLA, was shot dead on October 12, 2024, outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra area. The responsibility for the attack was later claimed in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The case remains under investigation, and proceedings against the remaining accused are ongoing before the court.