MUMBAI: Shivkumar Gautam, also known as Shiva, the prime suspect in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddique, voiced his fear of being pressured into making a false confession under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) before a court on Tuesday.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vinod Patil extended Gautam’s police custody until November 23rd. The court also sent co-accused Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava, and Akhilendra Pratap Singh to judicial custody for 14 days.
Gautam expressed concerns about the possibility of MCOCA being invoked against him and refused to provide a confessional statement under the Act. It is important to note that confessions made to the police under MCOCA are admissible as evidence in court.
Amit Mishra, Gautam’s lawyer, submitted a plea stating, “The accused submits that he’s not willing to give any voluntary confession before police under provisions of MCOCA or any other applicable law. He apprehends coercion, undue influence, or pressure to give confession under Section 18 of MCOCA.”