Former Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze has moved the Bombay High Court seeking his immediate release in the Antilia bomb scare case.
Appearing for Mr. Waze on Monday, senior advocates Aabad Ponda and Rounak Naik submitted to the court that the invocation of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act [UAPA] was not warranted in the case, as it was merely a case of gelatin recovery. There was no “threat” or “terror” in the case and the UAPA was invoked in a hasty and haphazard manner, the advocates said. The advocates also said that the National Investigation Agency [NIA] began its investigation even before the Central government had granted it permission.
Mr. Waze, who remains detained in Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai, wrote the writ petition from the prison. A Division Bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande directed the NIA to file its affidavit in response to Mr. Waze’s petition. The matter has been posted for hearing on September 23.
Examining the petition, the Bench said, “Is this a petition or a thesis? It has quoted Oscar Wilde and what not. This seems like a thesis for a PhD.”
Mr. Waze was arrested on February 25, 2021, after a vehicle was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia. The vehicle was found carrying 20 gelatin sticks [explosives] and a note. The vehicle was also found to have a fake number plate and a theft FIR for the car had been registered by businessman Mansukhlal Hiren.
Mr. Waze was then heading the investigation in the case and had summoned Mr. Hiren several times before the latter went missing and was later found dead. Mr. Hiren’s wife had filed a complaint alleging foul play.
The Maharashtra government transferred the case to the Anti-Terrorism Squad and later, on the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the case was handed over to the NIA. The investigation agency said that Mr. Waze, along with other accused persons, had committed serious offences under Sections 16, 18, and 20 of the UAPA.
Published - August 19, 2024 01:25 pm IST
