Shehzeen Ziauddin Siddique, widow of former MLA Baba Siddique, has filed a petition before the Bombay High Court seeking an impartial and independent probe into her husband’s murder, which occurred in October 2024. She has demanded that the investigation be handed over to either a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) or an independent agency, arguing that the current inquiry by the Mumbai Crime Branch is “biased” and “incomplete.”
Filed through advocate Trivankumar Karnani, the plea contends that Shehzeen, as the “prime and key witness,” possesses crucial evidence, including WhatsApp messages and recordings, which could shed light on the real motive behind the killing. However, she alleges that investigators have deliberately ignored her testimony and failed to examine vital leads.
According to the petition, the Mumbai Crime Branch “intentionally avoided recording her statement” and “suppressed the role of the real culprits.” Shehzeen alleged that a builder–developer lobby, involved in lucrative slum redevelopment projects within Baba Siddique’s assembly constituency, had a direct role in orchestrating his murder. She argued that her husband had long opposed their attempts to exploit slum dwellers and had become an obstacle to their multimillion-rupee interests.
“Baba Siddique always worked to protect the rights of slum residents, which made him a hurdle for developers aiming to profit from SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) projects. The angle of his elimination for standing against these vested interests has been deliberately ignored,” the plea stated.
The petition also reiterated earlier claims made by Baba Siddique’s son, Zeeshan Siddique, who had publicly alleged that his father’s murder was linked to the builder lobby. Zeeshan had reportedly named Mohit Kamboj, Prithvijeet Rajaram Chavan, Ashok Shrikishan Mundra, and Vijay Thakordas Thakkar, among others, in his police statement. However, the petition asserts that “no interrogation or follow-up investigation” was carried out against these individuals, allegedly due to political pressure and the builders’ “close links with the ruling dispensation.”
The plea accuses the Investigating Officer (IO) of failing to gather incriminating evidence and of deliberately shielding influential suspects. “The majority of the evidence collected is inadmissible and irrelevant — an exercise to dig a mountain and find a rat,” the petition said, calling the investigation “superficial and politically compromised.”
It adds that Shehzeen’s and Zeeshan’s statements, which contained “specific leads and named suspects,” were ignored despite their relevance. The plea argues that the “current investigation is tainted by conflict of interest” and calls for it to be transferred to “a neutral police machinery from another state” that has no political affiliation with Maharashtra’s ruling party.
The petition further stresses the need for the court to monitor the investigation to ensure fairness and prevent external influence. “The SIT or independent agency should be directed to file periodic sealed reports before this Honourable Court,” it recommends.
Baba Siddique was shot dead on October 12, 2024, just two days before he was expected to file his nomination for the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC). Initial police investigations had attributed the killing to the Bishnoi gang, claiming the motive was linked to his proximity to Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
The fresh petition, however, challenges that theory and insists the true motive lies in the real estate and political nexus operating in Mumbai’s redevelopment sector. The plea is scheduled for hearing before a bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and R.R. Bhonsale on November 11.
