MUMBAI, July 11 -- A special MCOCA court on Friday pulled up Mumbai's Crime Branch for making "no effort whatsoever" to secure the custody of jailed gangster Anmol Bishnoi in the Baba Siddique murder case. The court directed the police to take steps to secure his custody and file a compliance report by July 24. The order was delivered on an application by the slain NCP leader's widow, Shehzeen Ziauddin Siddique, who accused the Crime Branch of "lethargy and dereliction of duty", noting that its own charge-sheet named Bishnoi as the "wanted main accused" yet it had not acted despite his deportation from the US and arrest by the NIA in November 2025. Bishnoi is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail. Shehzeen Siddique, through advocates Trivankumar Karnani and Pradip Gharat, alleged that the police were acting under "external pressures" to keep the "actual main culprits" off the record. During the hearing, Special Judge Satyanarayan Navander asked the prosecution what steps had been taken to secure custody of the absconding accused. "What steps have you taken as per law for the absconding accused? Did you give any application? Did you take proclamation? Why did you not," the judge asked, adding that it was also the public prosecutor's duty to ensure compliance with the law. "You claim inability without showing any action. If you cannot do it, shall I transfer the case to the CBI," the judge remarked. In his written reply through Special Public Prosecutor Mahesh Mule, the investigating officer denied the allegations, saying the agency was willing to take custody if permitted by law. The prosecution cited a Government of India order dated December 5, 2025, barring Bishnoi's removal from Tihar Jail for a year or until conclusion of a separate case pending before a Delhi court, whichever is earlier. The court also rejected the claim that physical custody was indispensable, holding that while it had investigative value, the police could not indefinitely postpone proceedings against the principal accused, since evidence weakens over time and a joint trial avoids conflicting findings. It noted that there was no legal impediment to producing Bishnoi via video conferencing from Tihar Jail, or arresting and interrogating him there with the Delhi court's permission. Bishnoi is a wanted accused in Siddique's murder, which police say was ordered by his incarcerated brother Lawrence Bishnoi's gang. He recently offered to surrender in a separate case involving firing at actor Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai. Shehzeen Siddique has separately filed a writ petition before the Bombay High Court seeking a fair investigation into her husband's murder....