MUMBAI: An accused in the Baba Siddique murder case has approached a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court seeking permission to be represented during the trial by Vijay Palande, a convict in the Arun Tikku murder case, who is also facing trial in other murder cases that surfaced during the Mumbai Crime Branch’s investigation.VIJAY PALANDE ---------HT PHOTOThe request is unusual because Palande is not an advocate. Under criminal procedure, however, an accused person may seek permission from a court to be represented by a person other than a lawyer in certain circumstances, although such representation is subject to judicial approval. Sujit Sushil Singh alias Babbu Singh, currently lodged in Thane Central Prison, has specifically sought the court’s permission to appoint Palande to “act, appear, plead, represent” him in the case.Singh told the court that Palande possessed “immense knowledge about law” and had been helping inmates secure “justice and bail”. He further stated that “many inmates have been released due to his legal help and guidance” and noted that Palande was already “appearing in person and representing his own case”. Singh said he had requested Palande to represent him and that Palande had agreed, subject to obtaining the court’s permission.Singh has been in judicial custody since October 25, 2024 after the murder of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddiqui’s Bandra East office on October 12 that year. He was arrested from Ludhiana by the Punjab police and Mumbai crime branch.The police invoked MCOCA in the Siddique case while probing an alleged conspiracy linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. They have alleged that multiple accused participated in the planning, logistics and execution of the killing, with several arrests made across different states during the investigation. Singh was suspected to be linked to this conspiracy, and he was subsequently arraigned as an accused.Palande was convicted in the 2012 murder of businessman Arun Tikku, whose body was found at his Oshiwara residence. He is also facing trial in the murders of film producer Karankumar Kakkar and an unidentified person, cases that came to light during the same crime branch investigation. Over the years, Palande has frequently appeared in person before courts and has filed several applications relating to his own cases.