Special NIA court rejects discharge plea of former cop Sunil Mane in Antilia bomb scare case

A special NIA court here has rejected the discharge plea of former police officer Sunil Mane in the Antilia bomb scare case and the subsequent murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, saying that prima-facie his involvement is clearly seen in the case.

Special court judge A M Patil rejected Mane's discharge application on Thursday. The detailed order was made available on Friday. Mane was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in April 2021 for his alleged role in the case.

However, in his discharge plea filed before the court, the accused claimed that he was nowhere connected to the theft of Mansukh Hiran's vehicle on February 25, 2021 or placing of explosives near businessman Mukesh Ambani's residence.

As per the charge-sheet, it is clear that the applicant has not committed any offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and therefore, he is entitled for discharge of the offence under the provisions of anti-terror act and for default bail in the offence of Indian Penal Code (IPC), Mane's plea said.

It further contended that this applicant entered into a well-organised conspiracy headed by Waze for the murder of Hiran, which was a direct outcome of terrorist act committed by Waze and others. The court, upon perusal of statements of witnesses, said, It is clear that prima-facie involvement of this applicant is seen in this case.