Retired Mumbai ACP Pradeep Sharma has been granted three weeks’ interim bail by the Supreme Court, allowing him to attend to his ailing wife. This development comes after his bail plea was rejected by the special court and the Bombay High Court. The bail application was filed on the grounds of his wife’s health condition, which had worsened after a surgery. However, the prosecution had opposed the bail, citing that Sharma’s wife had previously visited him at the Pune hospital where he was lodged during his judicial custody.
Pradeep Sharma was arrested by the NIA in 2021, as a suspect in the Antilia terror scare and Mansukh Hiran murder case. The charges against him include murder and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The NIA alleges that Sharma was part of the conspiracy to murder Mansukh Hiran, a Thane resident. Hiran was linked to the SUV found parked outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, Antilia, allegedly by the main accused and dismissed cop Sachin Waze on 25 February 2021.
In response to the NIA’s request, the special court directed the hospital to submit a medical report on Sharma. The agency had raised concerns that Sharma was unnecessarily prolonging his hospital stay. The medical report will likely play a crucial role in assessing the validity of Sharma’s claims regarding his wife’s health condition. The case will continue to unfold, with the medical report from the hospital playing a significant role in determining the future course of legal proceedings.