The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Akashdeep Karaj Singh, making him the first accused to be released in the Baba Siddique murder case.
The court clarified that the bail order will not affect other accused, while the investigation into the high-profile killing continues.
The Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to Akashdeep Karaj Singh, a 21-year-old man from Fazilka district in Punjab, in the murder case of former Nationalist Congress Party MLA Baba Siddique. Singh has become the first accused in this high-profile case to get bail from the High Court.
A single-judge bench of Justice Neela Gokhale made it clear that the bail granted to Akashdeep Singh will not affect the bail pleas of the other accused persons involved in the case. The court stated that each bail application will be decided on its own facts and circumstances.
Baba Siddique, who was 66 years old and a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, was shot dead on the night of October 12, 2024. The incident took place outside the office of his son, Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra, Mumbai. He was attacked by three assailants, and the murder shocked the political and social circles of the city.
While granting bail, the High Court imposed several strict conditions on Akashdeep Singh. The court directed him to stay within Maharashtra and not leave the state without prior permission from the trial court. He has been asked to report to the concerned police station on every alternate Monday. The court also ordered him to provide a local surety and surrender his passport to the authorities.
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Akashdeep Singh was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch during a joint operation carried out with the Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force. He was the 24th accused to be arrested in the case. So far, investigating agencies have taken more than 27 accused persons into custody in connection with the murder.
According to the prosecution, Singh played the role of a coordinator between the shooters and other conspirators who are allegedly linked to the Bishnoi gang. The investigating agencies claimed that he helped in connecting different people involved in planning the crime.
However, the defence strongly opposed these allegations and argued that there is no solid evidence against Singh. The defence pointed out that the prosecution is relying mainly on a single call record, which was made before the murder took place, and does not directly connect Singh to the crime.
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During the hearing, the High Court questioned the prosecution about the exact role attributed to Akashdeep Singh. After examining the case papers and other documents, the court observed that granting bail to Singh at this stage would not interfere with or slow down the ongoing investigation.
The investigation into the murder of Baba Siddique is still continuing, and the police are working to uncover the full conspiracy behind the killing. The trial court will now proceed further in the matter as per law.
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