Mumbai court grants bail to Sachin Vaze in Antilia bomb scare case

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai has granted bail to former police officer Sachin Vaze in connection with the 2021 Antilia bomb scare and the Mansukh Hiran murder case. The court rejected an attempt by the NIA to stay the order.

Special Judge Chakor S. Baviskar questioned the applicability of terrorism charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), noting that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case. The judge observed that the gelatin sticks found in the vehicle parked near Antilia, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, lacked detonators and did not inherently constitute a direct terrorist act or a threat to national economic security.

The court criticized the prosecution for failing to record statements from any members of the Ambani family or their relatives, noting that the residence and the investigating agency's office are located adjacent to one another. The judge remarked that the absence of victim statements was “precarious to the credibility of the prosecution case.”

As conditions of his bail, Vaze must surrender his passport, provide his residential address outside five specific districts—Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad, and Palghar—and report to a local police station every Sunday. He is also required to share his location via calls or video calls with the NIA or police.