A Special Sessions Judge in Mumbai ordered bail for Sachin Waze, a former police officer, on Tuesday, citing the National Investigation Agency’s failure to establish a prima facie terrorism case under the UAPA.
The judge found that the gelatin sticks recovered from an SUV parked near Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia on 25 Feb 2021 lacked detonators, rendering them unusable and falling short of the "means" required to constitute a terrorist act under Section 15 of the UAPA. He also noted that the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran on 5 Mar 2021 was a homicide under Section 302 of the IPC, not a terrorist offence, and that the NIA had not recorded statements from the alleged targets even five to six years after the incident.
"There is absolutely nothing on record even to infer that the Ambanis were terrorised," the judge said, echoing the court’s earlier remarks that the day‑to‑day business of the Ambani family was unaffected by the incident. Yet the prosecution had alleged a “terrorist gang” had formed a criminal conspiracy. The judge’s decision effectively strips the case of its terrorism charge.
Waze’s lawyer, Prashant Sinha, said the former cop was likely to walk out of jail on Wednesday after the court’s bail order, having spent roughly five years in custody. He also highlighted that Waze had secured bail in a separate corruption case involving the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
The ruling underscores the need for the NIA to produce concrete evidence before invoking the UAPA. It also signals that the court is wary of leveraging terrorism statutes as a blanket shield for alleged conspiracies.
With the release formalities set to conclude, Waze will exit the Mumbai Central Jail on Wednesday, marking the end of his five‑year incarceration for the Antilia bomb scare.