Mumbai; In a significant development, the Bombay High Court granted bail to dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze in the ongoing corruption case involving former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Waze, who was arrested in March 2021 in connection with the Antilia bomb scare and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran, has remained in jail for over two years. Despite securing bail in this corruption case, Waze will remain in custody due to other pending charges.
The case stems from allegations that Deshmukh, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), used his position to extort money from bar and restaurant owners in Mumbai through police officers. Waze has alleged that Deshmukh instructed him to collect Rs 100 crore from establishments across the city. He further accused Deshmukh of pressuring him to engage in illegal activities, stating that he was coerced into following orders under the pretext that they came from political leaders like “Pawar Saheb”.
In a letter submitted to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Waze named Deshmukh and NCP state president Jayant Patil as key players in the extortion racket. He claimed to have provided substantial evidence, including documents and testimonies, to support his allegations. Waze, who has been declared an approver in the case, argued that his prolonged incarceration was a violation of his rights, as other accused in similar cases had already been granted bail.
However, Anil Deshmukh has strongly denied the charges. He dismissed Waze’s claims, accusing Fadnavis of using Waze as a pawn to further a political agenda. Deshmukh, who was in judicial custody for over a year before being granted bail in 2022, has repeatedly claimed that the allegations against him are part of a political conspiracy aimed at damaging his reputation and that of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government. Deshmukh went as far as to call Waze’s accusations a tactic orchestrated by Fadnavis.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut labeled Waze as a “terrorist,” referring to his involvement in the Antilia bomb scare case, and criticized the BJP for relying on such individuals.
