Antilia Bomb Scare Case | Supreme Court Grants Bail To Former Mumbai Police Officer Pradeep Sharma

After reserving the verdict last week, it was delivered today by a bench comprising Justices AS Bopanna and PS Narasimha after hearing Sharma’s bail plea challenging a decision of the Bombay High Court to deny him bail in January of this year. 

Justice Bopanna pronounced in court, "We allow the appeal and grant bail to the appellant."

Background

On February 25, 2021, an explosive-laden Scorpio car was found along with a threat letter near Antilia, the residence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Ten days later, on March 4, 2021 businessman Mansukh Hiran’s body was recovered from the Thane creek. He was the owner of the Scorpio and had reported it missing.

In April 2021, soon after the National Investigation Agency took over the investigation, then-API Sachin Waze, who was initially investigating the case, was arrested along with nine others, including Sharma. It was the central agency’s case that Sharma allegedly helped Waze in destroying evidence in the case and that he was involved in hatching the conspiracy as well as executing Hiran's murder with the help of his men.

Sharma was booked under Sections 120B, 201, 302, 364, and 403 of the Indian Penal Code, and relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2002, and has been in custody since his arrest by the National Investigation Agency.

In February 2022, a special NIA court rejected the bail application filed by the former Mumbai policeman. Sharma had sought bail claiming that the allegations against him in the charge sheet were limited to his involvement in the conspiracy of the murder of Thane resident Mansukh Hiran. The application also claimed that the agency had no material to show that he was involved in procuring or planting explosives in the vehicle near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. However, these contentions did not find favour with Special Judge AT Wankhede.

Even though the Bombay High Court granted bail to co-accused Riyazuddin Kazi, a bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and RN Laddha denied Sharma’s bail plea earlier this year, in January.

In June, a vacation bench headed by Justice Aniruddha Bose granted three weeks’ interim bail to Sharma so that the former police officer could meet his ailing wife, which was extended by two weeks by the court last month.

Case Title

Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma v. National Investigation Agency | Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 5764 of 2023

Citation : 2023 LiveLaw (SC) 699

Click here to read the judgment