Mumbai, Sep 29: In the 2021 Antilia bomb-scare case, a Special NIA Court here on Tuesday granted bail to former cop Sachin Vaze but barred him from entering five districts, including Mumbai and Thane, till the recording of statements of key witnesses.

Special Judge Chakor S. Baviskar granted bail to Vaze, who is also a suspect in the Mansukh Hiran murder case, against a personal bond and surety of Rs 1 lakh each and directed him to surrender his passport, a lawyer said.

While offering relief to “former encounter specialist” Vaze, the Special NIA Court noted that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case of terrorism under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against him.

The bail was granted on the condition that the former cop Vaze will not enter the jurisdiction of Brihanmumbai, Navi Mumbai, Raigad, Thane and Palghar districts until the statements of key witnesses are recorded.

The court also directed the former Assistant Police Inspector (API) to provide his location information or the address of his proposed residence outside these five districts within seven days of the order.

The Special Judge said that Vaze will be required to report to his local police station every Sunday between 12 noon and 3 p.m. and share his location on calls/video calls with the NIA or the police.

The court noted that the gelatin sticks found in the car near outside Antilia – the residence of a top industrialist – without detonators did not prima facie constitute a direct terrorist act or a threat to the country’s economic security.

The court noted that no statement has been recorded from any victim or member of the family living in Antilia.

The Special Judge accepted Vaze’s plea seeking bail on the grounds of parity with other accused who had already been granted similar relief.

His lawyers pleaded that co-accused Pradeep Sharma and Sunil Mane had already been granted bail by the Supreme Court and the High Court, and on the grounds of parity, Vaze should also be granted bail.

Vaze had been in custody since March 13, 2021, and given the magnitude of the case (320 witnesses and a charge sheet of over 14,000 pages), the trial was unlikely to be completed soon, said his lawyer.

According to the National Investigation Agency, an explosives-laden SUV carrying a ‘threat letter’ was found parked near the multi-storey Antilia building in south Mumbai on February 25, 2021.

Businessman Mansukh Hiren, who claimed that the SUV had been stolen from his possession, was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5, 2021. Vaze was arrested in the case a few days later.

The Special NIA Court framed charges against Vaze and nine others on August 1, 2026, paving the way for them to face trial under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and murder.

The NIA said that Vaze was involved in parking the SUV with the motive of terrorising wealthy individuals and extorting money.

The Bombay High Court today paved the way for the release of a 65-year-old man who has been imprisoned for the past fifteen years on terrorism charges. A division bench comprising Justice Sarang Vijaykumar Kotwal and Justice Ranjit Sinha Raja Bhonsle granted the accused, Kafeel Ahmed, permission to present a surety from outside Maharashtra; the Court had previously ordered him to produce a local resident as a surety. Kafeel Ahmed had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court through the Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (Arshad Madani) Legal Aid Committee. During today’s hearing, Advocate Mateen Shaikh informed the Court that despite being granted bail nearly a year ago, the accused remains compelled to endure the hardships of imprisonment because he hails from Bihar and has no one in Maharashtra to stand as his surety. Advocate Mateen Shaikh further informed the court that the accused is 65 years old and is already suffering from various ailments while in prison; therefore, the conditions of his bail should be modified. Initially, the court expressed reluctance, noting that the accused faced serious charges and thus the bail conditions could not be altered; however, after hearing Advocate Mateen Shaikh’s arguments, the court granted relief to the accused. This decision was made despite strong opposition from the public prosecutor regarding the modification of bail conditions. It is worth noting that two weeks ago, the son of the accused, Kafeel Ahmed, met with Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi, President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, to request his elderly father’s release from prison; subsequently, a petition was filed in the Bombay High Court, which was heard today. Kafeel Ahmed is accused of involvement—alongside other co-accused—in the 13/7 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, which involved explosions at three different locations in the city. Charges were framed against Kafeel Ahmed and the other eleven accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)—including Sections 302, 307, 326, 325, 324, 379, 109, and 120-B—as well as under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra Legal Aid Committee is providing legal assistance to the accused facing charges in this case: Naqi Ahmed Wasi Ahmed, Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaq Shaikh, Haroon Abdul Rashid Naik, Kafeel Ahmed Mohammad Ayub Ansari, Asadullah Akhtar Javed Akhtar (alias ‘Haddi’), Syed Ismail Afaq Alim Lanka, Saddam Hussain Feroz Khan, and Zain-ul-Abideen Abdul Razzaq. Advocates Abdul Wahab Khan, Sharif Shaikh, Hasnain Qazi, and others are appearing in the Sessions Court to represent the accused.

In Mumbai, the Rashtriya Muslim Manch broke the lock placed by the MIM on Khilafat House. Chanting slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” female students and activists from the Rashtriya Muslim Manch broke the lock and entered the premises. Previously, former MLA Waris Pathan had locked Khilafat House; a verbal altercation had also occurred at the time between Pathan and Sarfaraz Arzu, the trustee and acting president of Khilafat House. Today, by breaking the lock, the Rashtriya Muslim Manch declared Pathan’s action illegal, questioning his authority to lock the premises.

Waris Pathan stated that since Khilafat House is registered with the Waqf Board and is Waqf property, he had locked it in protest to halt construction work. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Arzu had challenged the claim that it was Waqf property, demanding that the Waqf deed be produced. Pathan had locked the Byculla-based Khilafat House following a notice from the Waqf Board, but today, the Rashtriya Muslim Manch broke that lock and entered the building. Sarfaraz Arzu announced plans to construct a high-rise building at the site, which would house a hospital and a college. Although the property is embroiled in a dispute regarding its status as Waqf property, the Khilafat House administration has refused to acknowledge it as such, even though the Waqf Board has issued a notice and demanded relevant records. Waris Pathan had locked the Khilafat House to halt construction work there; it has been opened today.