MUMBAI: Two accused in the Baba Siddique murder case moved a plea before the MCOCA court on Monday seeking to retract their confessional statements recorded by police claiming these were not given voluntarily.
Gurmail Singh, a Haryana resident, and Harishkumar Kashyap were arrested for their alleged roles in the murder of Siddique.
The NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister was shot at in Bandra's Nirmal Nagar on October 12 and he died soon after at a nearby hospital.
Singh and Kashyap's plea in the special MCOCA court claimed police recorded their confessional statements "which was involuntary".
"As per instructions from the accused, the investigation authority has no evidence and, therefore, only to implicate the present accused and the other accused in this false case, have recorded this confession," the plea filed through advocate Siddharth Agarwal said.
The plea said Singh and Kashyap wish to retract the confession taken by the investigating authority.
The court has asked the probe agency to file its response. Meanwhile, the special MCOCA court sent 13 accused in the case to judicial custody at the end of their police remand on Monday.
The Crime Branch has arrested 26 persons so far, including the alleged main shooter Shivkumar Gautam.
On November 30, the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act was invoked against the 26, all of whom are presently in judicial custody.