Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to dismissed Mumbai cop Riyazuddin Kazi, who was arrested for his alleged role in the Antilia bomb scare case.
The court observed that prima facie there is nothing to show that Mr Kazi was involved in parking of the gelatin-laden vehicle outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia, or involved in businessman Mansukh Hiran’s murder. The court added that he was only following the instructions of his senior, dismissed cop Sachin Vaze.
A division bench of Justices Revati Dere and RN Laddha directed Mr Kazi’s release on furnishing a personal bond of Rs25,000 and asked him to cooperate with the investigation. The HC was hearing a plea filed by Mr Kazi challenging the order of the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court rejecting his bail plea.
The HC rejected NIA counsel Sandesh Patil’s request to stay the bail order to allow them to approach the Supreme Court. It noted that even the NIA has admitted that Mr Kazi was not directly involved in the incidents – parking vehicles outside Antilia and killing Mr Hiran – and was alleged to have helped Mr Vaze destroy the evidence. The bench has also said that Mr Kazi’s statement is similar to that of other police officers who have been made witnesses in the case.
According to the NIA, panchnamas were not made intentionally and deliberately for the purpose of destroying evidence on Mr Vaze’s instructions. However, Mr Kazi “made entries in the station diary/case diary to show seizure of articles from the shops/Saket Complex, though, he was prevented/directed by Sachin Vaze from making any documentation”, noted the court.
“Prima facie, there is not a single statement in the entire charge sheet, at least not pointed out to us, to show that the appellant himself destroyed any of the seized articles,” averred the bench.
Citing witness Prakash Howal’s statement, the HC said Mr Kazi and Mr Howal were asked to wait at a distance from where they “watched Vaze destroying the articles by throwing them into Mithi river”.
A gelatin laden vehicle was found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia on Feb 25, 2021. The investigation was later handed over to NIA, which stated that planting of gelatin sticks with a threat note was done by Sachin Vaze.
There are 10 accused in the case.
