Mumbai court refuses bail to man accused of sheltering Baba Siddique shooter

The court noted that Gautam’s confession “attributes a specific role to the applicant in providing aid and harbour to the principal accused”.

A special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Aakash Brijkumar Shrivastava, 27, accused of providing assistance and shelter to Shivkumar Gautam who allegedly shot former minister Baba Siddique dead in October 2024.

Former minister Baba Siddique was shot dead in October 2024. (HT File Photo)

Special Judge Satyanarayan R Navander held that the prosecution had placed sufficient prima facie material against Shrivastava, including two confessional statements recorded under MCOCA, witness statements about his association with other accused, call records and the circumstances in which he was nabbed along with Gautam and another accused while allegedly heading towards the Nepal border on November 10, 2024.

Court alleges conspiracy actions

The court noted that Gautam’s confession “attributes a specific role to the applicant in providing aid and harbour to the principal accused” while the confession of another accused, Harish Kumar Kashyap, allegedly detailed meetings involving Shrivastava, discussions relating to the conspiracy and the activities and movements of the group.

Judge Navander, however, held that “retraction (of the confessions) by itself does not warrant complete exclusion of the statements from consideration at the stage of bail” and their voluntariness, admissibility and evidentiary value would have to be examined at trial. He also rejected the argument that “absence of proof of monetary consideration” could be treated as “conclusive in favour of the applicant”.