Now Reading: Sachin Waze gets bail as court drops UAPA terror charge
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Sachin Waze gets bail as court drops UAPA terror charge
A special NIA court in Mumbai granted bail to dismissed police officer Sachin Waze on Tuesday, ruling that the prosecution failed to make a prima facie case of terrorism under the UAPA.…
A special NIA court in Mumbai granted bail to dismissed police officer Sachin Waze on Tuesday, ruling that the prosecution failed to make a prima facie case of terrorism under the UAPA. The court said there was no evidence that the Ambani family was terrorised by the planting of an SUV with gelatin sticks near their residence Antilia in February 2021, noting the gelatin sticks lacked detonators.
Judge Chakor Baviskar remarked the NIA had not recorded statements from the alleged targets even after five to six years. The court also held that the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, whose SUV was used, was homicidal but not a direct outcome of a terrorist act, and is an independent IPC offence. Waze is expected to walk out of jail on Wednesday after nearly five years in custody, his lawyer said.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Deccan Herald and Siasat.com both report the same court order granting bail to Sachin Waze, but their framing differs sharply. Deccan Herald leads with the legal reasoning, no prima facie UAPA case, and includes the court's observation that the Ambanis' business was undisturbed. Siasat.com foregrounds the court's stinging remark about the NIA waiting for an 'auspicious time' to record statements, a detail that casts the probe agency as dilatory. Siasat also emphasises Waze's expected release after 'nearly five years', adding a human dimension. The uniform core fact is that the court found no terrorist act under UAPA because detonators were absent, leaving murder as a separate IPC charge. The key difference is tone: Deccan Herald is procedural, Siasat is critical of the NIA's investigation. The appeal or further legal challenge to this bail will determine whether the substantive UAPA charges are revived, with the NIA's next move the concrete item to watch.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): deccanherald.com (neutral report), siasat.com (government critical)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
