Antilia bomb scare case: SC extends by four weeks interim bail granted to ex-cop

The Supreme Court on Monday extended by four weeks the interim bail granted to former Mumbai Police officer Pradeep Sharma who was arrested in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case and the killing of businessman Mansukh Hiran in view of his wifes surgeryA vacation bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Prashant Kumar Mishra extended the relief to Sharma granted earlier this month after senior advocate Siddharth Dave appearing for him said his wife could not be operated upon as the doctor concerned was abroadThe doctor was travelling throughout the month of June Now he is set to return to India in the first week of July after which the surgery will be conducted Dave said requesting the bench to extend the interim bail granted to Sharma a former encounter specialist of Mumbai PoliceAdditional Solicitor General KM Nataraj opposed the application for extension of interim bail saying no specific date of surgery is mentioned and later Sharma will again come and seek for extension of bail periodThis is a serious case and important witnesses are to be examined Time and again extension could not be granted he saidJustice Bopanna said these are small issues and since the doctor was not in the country the surgery could not be taken upThe bench after perusing the last order and the report of the doctor extended the interim bail period by four weeks and directed the matter be listed after four weeksOn June 5 the top court had granted three weeks interim bail to Sharma after noting that his wife has to undergo surgeryThe top court had said Sharma will be released on interim bail subject to conditions imposed by the trial courtFrom the medical certificate issued by the Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre Mumbai dated May 27 2023 the wife of the petitioner has been advised to undergo reversal of gastric bypass surgery Considering the reason for which interim bail is prayed for we direct that the petitioner shall be released on interim bail on such conditions that the trial court may consider fit and proper for a period of three weeks to attend to his wifes treatment the top court had saidThe top court had posted the matter for hearing on June 26 and directed Sharma to furnish a medical report disclosing the progress in the treatment of his wifeThe top court had on May 18 issued notice on Sharmas plea challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which had refused to grant him bailThe high court had expressed anguish at the manner in which the National Investigation Agency NIA had probed the caseIt had noted that the NIAs probe was silent on the coconspirators involved with dismissed policeman Sachin Waze in planting gelatin sticks in an SUV parked outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh AmbaniOn February 25 2021 an explosivesladen SUV was found near Ambanis residence Antilia in south Mumbai Businessman Hiran who was in possession of the SUV was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5 2021The allegation against Sharma who along with police officers Daya Nayak Vijay Salaskar and Ravindranath Angre was a member of the Mumbai Polices encounter squad that killed over 300 criminals in numerous encounters was that he had helped his former colleague Waze in eliminating HiranSalaskar had died during the 2611 Mumbai terror attackSharma had approached the high court last year challenging a February 2022 order of a special NIA court rejecting his bail pleaSharma was arrested in the case in June 2021 and is currently in judicial custodyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever