The Bombay High Court has granted bail to dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze in a corruption case involving former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, as reported by PTI. The bail was granted by a division bench led by Justice M.S. Sonak, with the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court tasked with setting the bail conditions. Despite the bail, Vaze will remain in custody due to his involvement in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case, for which he is under judicial custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Vaze, who has been declared an approver in the corruption case, sought bail on the grounds of parity, stating that other accused individuals are already out on bail. However, the CBI opposed his release, arguing that Vaze has yet to testify in the case and his release could hinder the investigation. The special CBI court had declared him an approver in June 2022.The case dates back to March 2021 when former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh accused Deshmukh of corruption.
In a letter to then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh alleged that Deshmukh instructed Vaze to collect ₹100 crore monthly from Mumbai's bars and restaurants. Following these allegations, the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI inquiry into Deshmukh's actions in April 2021. Based on the findings of this preliminary inquiry, the CBI filed an FIR against Deshmukh, Vaze, and others. Singh also claimed that Vaze, previously suspended over a fake encounter case, was reinstated to facilitate the collection of these funds on behalf of Deshmukh.