Now Reading: NIA tells HC trial court granted Waze bail on ‘whims and fancies’
-
01
NIA tells HC trial court granted Waze bail on ‘whims and fancies’
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday, 7 October told the Bombay High Court that a special trial court's order granting bail to dismissed police officer Sachin Waze was based on ‘surmises at its whims and fancies’ and contradicted the agency's chargesheet. The NIA argued that planting 20 gelatin sticks in an SUV outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia in February 2021 was an act of terror under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, warranting stricter bail conditions.
The agency said the trial judge erred by treating the offence as outside UAPA and by accepting the defence's claim that the gelatin sticks were ‘useless’ without a detonator. It also sought expunging of ‘personal remarks’ made by the judge on the investigation. The NIA additionally submitted that Waze killed his friend Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of the vehicle, fearing Hiran would expose the conspiracy. The hearing will continue on Thursday, 8 October, with the high court extending its stay on the bail.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both ToI articles present the NIA's appeal against the trial court's bail order for Sachin Waze, closely paraphrasing the agency's legal submissions and its criticism of the special judge's ‘whims and fancies’ remark. The ET article, while reporting the same arguments, adds an explanatory lead that Waze planted the explosives-laden SUV to pose as a ‘super cop’, a framing absent from the ToI pieces. It also reproduces the trial court's criticism that the NIA has not recorded statements from the Ambani family, which the ToI stories mention but do not emphasise. The shared core is the NIA's contention that the bail order contradicts the terror charges under UAPA. The hearing resumes on 8 October.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
