MUMBAI, Dec. 12 -- The Bombay High Court on Thursday questioned the Maharashtra government's decision to scale down the security cover of former MLA Zeeshan Siddique, the son of the late Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in October last year. Considering the "legal complexities" in the case, the court also requested the advocate general to appear in the matter, after the state government failed to provide the details of the Mumbai police's threat-assessment committee's meetings to assess why Zeeshan's security was scaled down last month. The court was hearing a petition filed by Baba Siddique's widow, Shehzeen, seeking an independent, court-monitored investigation into her husband's murder. On Thursday, Shehzeen claimed that the police had drastically cut down Zeeshan's security cover on November 11, days after she filed her petition. Zeeshan's security cover had earlier been enhanced during the course of the investigation, with seven gunmen and an escort vehicle and driver, while his mother and his sister were given one constable each. Police officers were also deployed at the Siddique residence, with a specialised armoured and a quick response team stationed in their building premises. The petition said that Zeeshan's security was reduced to merely two policemen last month, and the escort car and the driver were also taken away, even as the family's "lives continue to remain under threat". Requesting the police to reinstate his security, Zeeshan said, "My father, on July 25, 2024, had requested the Mumbai police to enhance his security. The request was denied, which led to my father's murder. Now that my security has been reduced, if anything happens to me or my family, who is to be blamed?" During Thursday's hearing, advocates Pradeep Gharat and Trivankumar Karnani, appearing for Shehzeen, reiterated that the threat extended to both Baba and Zeeshan Siddique according to the charge sheet. Yet, Gharat said, Zeeshan's security was reduced without explanation. "Certain precautions were taken earlier, but immediately after filing the petition, the security was removed," he said. A division bench of justices AS Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale questioned the state over the reduction of security, adding that no details of the meeting by the police's threat-assessment committee have been submitted so far. "The last meeting was held in October. Where are the minutes of the meeting? There is no perception of threat evaluated by the committee," the court remarked. While the state, represented by public prosecutor Mankuwar Deshmukh, failed to provide the details, it discarded the allegations that Zeeshan's security was reduced after the petition was filed. "The family members are still provided with security," she said. Criticising the state's failure to submit the committee meeting details, the court said, "When you constitute a committee, it is expected that meetings are held." It then directed the state's advocate general to be present in the court during the next hearing, which is scheduled for December 16....