Antilia case: SC to examine bail plea by ex-cop Pradeep Sharma

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a bail plea by retired high-profile police officer and encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, arrested in connection with the sensational Mansukh Hiran murder case.

He challenged the Bombay High Court order of January 23, 2023, which rejected his bail application.

A vacation bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Prashant Kumar Mishra took up the petition filed by Sharma, who moved the apex court challenging the high court order rejecting his bail plea on January 23, 2023.

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Sharma, in an additional document, claimed that the health condition of the wife is deteriorating each passing day and she is in dire need of immediate surgery.

“Petitioner’s mother is 93 years old and his wife is her primary caregiver. Due to the current medical complications of the wife, there is nobody to look after the wife and mother. The petitioner is the only male member to take care of his wife and old aged mother,” it said.

The bench, however, deferred the hearing on interim bail plea to June 2, after noting that Sharma has not filed a proper petition.

Sharma has been in custody in the case since June 17, 2021.

The Maharashtra government was represented by advocate Aaditya Pande.

An SUV laden with gelatin and a death threat to the Ambani family was found abandoned near the iconic Antilia building on February 25, 2021. A few days later on March 5, the vehicle owner Hiran was found dead in the Thane Creek.

The National Investigation Agency, which took over the probe from Maharashtra Police, arrested Sharma in June 2021. It claimed Sharma allegedly conspired with another sacked policeman Sachin Vaze to finish off Hiran, considered a 'weak link' in the entire conspiracy to terrorise industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family.

The NIA said that Hiran was in the know of the entire plot and the accused Sharma-Vaze were worried that he would spill the beans on them, so they plotted to eliminate him.