Salman Khan attack, Baba Siddique murder: Will Mumbai Police finally get hold of Anmol Bishnoi?

Anmol Bishnoi is a wanted accused whom Mumbai Police has identified as the alleged mastermind behind former minister Baba Siddique’s murder. Police says the arrested suspects acted on his instructions. The case matters because investigators have not yet questioned the person they say directed the killing.

Bishnoi was deported from the United States and arrested by the National Investigation Agency on November 19, 2025. A later government order prevents him from being moved out of Delhi’s Tihar Jail. A Delhi court rejected a production warrant, citing that restriction. Police can question him inside jail only with a court order.

Mumbai Police has asked the Maharashtra government to seek the Union Home Ministry’s intervention. It wants the restriction temporarily withdrawn or relaxed so Bishnoi can be produced and questioned. The special court has repeatedly demanded details of the police’s efforts, while the trial of the other accused is approaching.

The police have arrested 27 accused so far in the murder of former minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique. Their trial is set to begin. Despite these arrests, investigators say they still need access to Anmol Bishnoi, whom they have named as a wanted accused and the alleged mastermind.

Police alleges that the 27 arrested people worked on Bishnoi’s instructions. This claim makes his questioning important for understanding how the killing was planned, who gave directions, and what motive lay behind it. Siddique was shot outside the office of his son, former MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East on October 12, 2024.

The police has told the special court that it has not questioned Bishnoi. A movement restriction at Tihar Jail prevents his physical production elsewhere. Mumbai Police is now seeking government intervention to relax that restriction, while the court continues to monitor the investigation.

Section 303 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita lets the government direct that a prisoner, or a class of prisoners, not be removed from the prison where they are detained. The stated grounds include the offence’s nature, possible public-order disturbance, and public interest.

The restriction has direct procedural effects. While it remains in force, no court can order the prisoner’s production. An investigating agency may question the person only inside the jail and only after obtaining a court order. A Delhi court rejected a production warrant for Anmol Bishnoi on that basis.

Bishnoi’s restriction was issued weeks after his November 19, 2025 arrest by the NIA. Mumbai Police says the order has created a legal embargo on obtaining his physical custody. It has asked for a temporary withdrawal or relaxation, but the Union Home Ministry’s intervention is still required.

The main problem is restricted access to an alleged mastermind who is already in custody. Mumbai Police says it has not questioned Anmol Bishnoi, even though it has named him as the person who allegedly directed the Siddique murder. That leaves investigators without his account of the alleged conspiracy and motive.

Under the restriction, officers may question Bishnoi only inside Tihar Jail and only with a court order. Investigating agencies say just one or two officials may be permitted to question him for a few hours. Other accused cannot be brought into the jail for questioning alongside him, limiting direct comparison of their accounts.

The police has described this as a legal embargo that makes effective investigation difficult. The problem also affects court proceedings, because a Delhi court rejected a production warrant. Mumbai Police is seeking a relaxation, while the special court demands evidence that it has tried to secure access.

The special court repeatedly pressed Mumbai Police because Anmol Bishnoi was already in custody but had not been questioned in the Siddique murder case. Police had called him a wanted accused and alleged mastermind. This made the court question why investigators had not secured his presence or used available legal routes.

In July, Siddique’s wife, Shehzeen, asked the court to direct police to secure Bishnoi’s custody and question him about the murder’s motive. Special Judge S R Navander then questioned the police. In August, the court issued a showcause notice to the investigating officer.

Police replied that the Union government’s order created a legal embargo on obtaining physical custody. On October 21, the court again sought details of the police effort. The police submitted a confidential report on Wednesday, and the matter was adjourned to next week. The pressure reflects the court’s concern about investigative progress.

When a high-risk prisoner cannot be transferred, the legal process can use alternatives to physical production. One option is questioning inside the prison. In Bishnoi’s case, investigators may do this only with a court order, and agencies say the permitted access can be narrow.

The restriction may allow only one or two officials to question the prisoner for a few hours. Another practical option is a video link for court proceedings. In 2013, the Bombay High Court refused to cancel a similar movement restriction on Zabiuddin Ansari, also known as Abu Jundal, but allowed him to attend the trial through video link from jail.

These alternatives preserve some access while keeping the prisoner in a secure facility. They may not fully solve the investigation problem, because other accused cannot be brought in and questioning time may be limited. Mumbai Police is seeking a temporary relaxation of Bishnoi’s restriction.

Judicial custody generally means an accused is held in a prison under court authority, rather than in direct police custody. Police custody means the accused is placed under investigators’ control for a permitted period, usually to support questioning and investigation. The article does not explain these legal terms, but this distinction is central to Bishnoi’s case.

Bishnoi was arrested by the NIA and is held in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. A government order bars his removal from that prison. Police therefore cannot obtain physical custody through ordinary production, and a Delhi court rejected its production warrant. Investigators can question him inside jail only with court permission.

This limits the police’s ability to conduct extended questioning or connect Bishnoi’s account with the other accused. Mumbai Police says the restriction has created a legal embargo. Its request for a temporary relaxation seeks access without waiting for the movement order to expire.