Cop’s wife murdered: Accused son Siddhant Ganore suffering from depression, says lawyer

Court yet to decide on bail plea of 21-year-old, whose father is a police inspector in Mumbai.

Siddhant Ganore, 21, son of a city police inspector, arrested for murdering his mother Dipali, 42, in May this year, is suffering from insomnia and depression, his lawyer told court on Monday.

The housing society in Mumbai where the murder took place. (HT File)

Siddhant, who is lodged in Aurther Road jail, is being treated by in-house doctors and a team from JJ hospital, said lawyer Vaibhav Baghade, who moved a bail application last week on the grounds that Siddhant’s mental health was not good and that there was no evidence to prove that he killed his mother.

On Monday, Baghade argued in court that even before the alleged incident, Siddhant was suffering from depression and stress, which was reflected in his academic performance.

While applying for bail, Baghade had sought a report from the prison on his mental condition. The report, submitted on Monday, states that Siddhant is under treatment for depression and insomnia. “The report says he is suffering from depression. There are signs that he is fearful of the world at large, and does not trust anyone,” Baghade said in court.

He also pointed out that the charge-sheet does not show any evidence that Siddhant was in the house when Dipali was killed, and nor do his fingerprints match the ones collected from the spot.

The prosecution objected to the bail application, contending that there is sufficient evidence to prove the case against Siddhant, besides which he does not need bail to get treated as he is already getting the required treatment in prison.

After hearing both sides, the court reserved its order on the bail application.

Dipali was murdered on the afternoon of May 23. Siddhant’s father Dyaneshwar, an inspector at Khar police station and one of the investigators in the high-profile Sheena Bora murder case, found his wife’s body at home with multiple stab wounds after midnight. The police claim that after the murder, Siddhant left his phone at home and took a train from Santacruz station. He changed trains several times and went to Jodhpur, Rajasthan, via Surat, without a valid ticket, police officials said.

On June 1, Siddhant was tracked down and caught in a hotel by the Jodhpur police, who were acting on a tip-off from the Mumbai police. The 21-year-old confessed to them, and later to the Vakola police, that he had murdered his mother.

Siddhant allegedly told the police that his mother was highly educated and put a lot of pressure on him to study. He was not doing well academically, and his mother often admonished him, police officials said. He also allegedly told them that he was fed up of the constant fights between his parents.