Baba Siddique Murder Case: Special MCOCA Court Allows Late NCP Leader's Wife Shehzeen To Join Prosecution As Victim Representative

Mumbai: The Special MCOCA Court on Saturday allowed a plea filed by Shehzeen Siddique, wife of late NCP leader Baba Siddique, granting her permission to join the prosecution in her husband’s murder case. She had sought permission to assist the prosecution in trial pleading that his family is the ultimate victim of the accused’s actions.

Baba Siddique, 66, was killed on October 12, 2014, near his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra. Three assailants, allegedly members of Bishnoi’s gang, opened fire on the car Baba had entered as he prepared to leave the office. The attack was swift, leaving no opportunity for his guards to react. The assailants were apprehended by the police while attempting to flee.

The Mumbai Police has filed a chargesheet against 26 individuals accused of involvement in the NCP leader’s murder. According to the police, the killing was ordered by Anmol Bishnoi, who heads the gang.

While the trial has yet to commence, Baba’s wife Shehzeen submitted an application through her lawyers, Pradeep Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, last month, seeking permission to join the prosecution for the trial. She argued that the murder was a cold-blooded, gruesome, premeditated act, and that she is the de facto sufferer of the crime.

In her plea, Shehzeen emphasized the victim’s right to be heard, a principle upheld by the Supreme Court in numerous cases. “It has been held that the victim is the de facto sufferer of a crime. The ethos of criminal justice dispensation to prevent and punish crime should not surreptitiously turn its back on the victim. The jurisprudence regarding the rights of victims to be heard and participate in criminal proceedings has positively evolved,” the plea stated.

“She has suffered an irreparable loss, and that it is of utmost importance for the intervenor to put on record the true and correct facts to assist this Court to come to a free and fair conclusion in the matter at hand,” Shehzeen said in her application, adding that there are several important aspects which require due and proper weightage.

Siddique’s son, Zeeshan, on the other hand expressed his belief that his father faced opposition from various quarters due to his alleged support of slum dwellers impacted by the Bharat Nagar redevelopment project. Zeeshan named several individuals he believed had vested interests in the redevelopment of slums in Bandra East and West, and he claimed that investigators have not actively pursued this angle.