Antilia Bomb Scare: Court Turns Down Ex-Mumbai Cop’s Plea For Home-Cooked Food In Jail

A special court recently denied dismissed policeman Sachin Waze’s plea seeking “specialised diabetic home-cooked food” in jail, stating that he was getting a balanced diet in prison.

Mr Waze, a former Mumbai police officer, is one of the accused in the case of an explosives-laden SUV discovered near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran. He is currently being held in judicial custody at the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

On Monday, citing his health condition, he filed an application at the special court hearing cases related to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for home-cooked food.

In his petition, Mr Waze said that a doctor from Mumbai’s state-run J J Hospital asked the jail superintendent to provide him with a strict diabetic diet and advised the former police officer to take his medications on a daily basis.

Mr Waze claimed that the prison administration would be unable to give a specific diet as recommended by ophthalmologists and diabetic medical professionals.

Following a review of a jail authority report, the court determined that the prison provides a balanced diet and hence there is no need to allow him to bring home-cooked food.

Given the arguments provided by the jail authorities, it would be inappropriate to allow Mr. Waze to bring home-cooked food.

In a similar development, Mr. Waze informed the court on Wednesday that he has no issue to another former police officer and co-accused Sunil Mane’s application for pardon in the case.

However, the NIA, which was investigating the matter, opposed Mr. Mane’s plea.

The investigation agency has stated that it is “crystal clear” that the applicant (Mane) is directly involved in the crime in this case, along with his co-accused persons, and that his plea cannot be supported.

Mr. Mane stated in his handwritten plea to the court in February that he had realised his error and that the court should consider his “outstanding record” in his police career and allow him to “repent his mistake” by tendering pardon in the case.

An explosives-laden SUV was discovered near Mukesh Ambani’s ‘Antilia’ mansion in south Mumbai on February 25, 2021. Hiran, who claimed to have owned the SUV before it was stolen, was discovered dead in a creek in Thane on March 5, 2021.

Mr Waze is the main accused in the case, which also involves a few other police officers.