MUMBAI, Nov. 3 -- Nearly 19 years after a man was murdered in an alleged gangland revenge killing, a sessions court on Monday rejected gangster Kumar Krishna Pillai's anticipatory bail plea, holding that his custodial interrogation was necessary for an effective investigation. Additional sessions judge PA Sable acknowledged that Pillai, a Hong Kong citizen, had remained in India for several years after being extradited from Singapore in 2016 in connection with three separate cases. He also noted that an open-dated warrant against him had been cancelled after he was acquitted of all criminal charges for which he had been extradited, and that he was subsequently permitted to return to Hong Kong in June this year. However, the court held that these circumstances, despite weighing in his favour, were insufficient to grant Pillai pre-arrest protection from arrest in the murder case due to the gravity of the allegations. Pillai is accused of conspiring with his associates to murder Sunil Magde, a member of a rival gang, allegedly to avenge the 1989 killing of his father, Krishna Pillai. Challenging the allegations, his lawyer, Pankaj Kavale, argued that Pillai was falsely implicated, was not in India when the offence occurred, and there was no evidence establishing his presence at the crime scene. He submitted that no weapon or other incriminating material was recovered from Pillai. Rejecting the plea, judge Sable said the accusations were of an "extremely serious nature", involving murder and attempt to murder. He observed that the 19-year delay, cancellation of the warrant and Pillai's subsequent return to Hong Kong were relevant considerations but could not outweigh the seriousness of the allegations and the investigating agency's stated need for custodial interrogation....