Court grants Sachin Vaze bail in Antilia case, rejects terrorism charge at prima facie stage

A special National Investigation Agency court has granted bail to former policeman Sachin Vaze in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case. Special Sessions Judge Chakor S. Baviskar said the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case of terrorism under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Vaze was ordered to be released on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with a surety. An explosives-laden sport utility vehicle was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai residence, Antilia, on February 25, 2021. Hiran, who had been in possession of the vehicle, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5.

The court said there was no evidence to infer that members of the Ambani family had been terrorised. It noted that the family’s day-to-day business did not appear to have been disrupted after the incident. The judge also considered the contents of the vehicle.

Gelatin sticks were found inside, but they had no detonators. The court said this meant they could not be used to cause an explosion and did not provide the means required to constitute a terrorist act under the relevant law. On Hiran’s death, the court said it was homicidal but not the direct result of a terrorist act.

It treated the alleged killing as an independent offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, which does not carry the same restrictive bail provisions as the UAPA. The prosecution had accused Vaze and others of forming a terrorist gang and entering a criminal conspiracy between February and March 2021. The bail ruling addresses the terrorism allegations at the stage before trial and does not resolve the wider accusations described by the prosecution.

The source material does not state whether the prosecution plans to challenge the bail order or whether Vaze faces other proceedings.