Antilia Bomb Scare: Court Rejects Ex-Mumbai Cop's Plea For Home-Cooked Food

 Dismissed policeman Sachin Waze's plea seeking "specialized diabetic home-cooked food" in jail was on Wednesday rejected by a special court here, which said he was being provided a balanced diet in the prison.

Mr Waze, a former Mumbai police officer, is an accused in the case of an explosives-laden sports utility vehicle (SUV) found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiran. He is currently in judicial custody and lodged at Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai.

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

In his plea, Mr Waze claimed that a doctor from the state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai asked the jail superintendent to provide him a strict diabetic diet, and also advised the former police officer to consume medicines without fail.

Mr Waze submitted that the prison administration would not be in a position to provide a special diet as advised by the ophthalmologist and diabetic medical experts.

The court, upon perusal of a report of the jail authority, said that it is seen that the prison is providing a balanced diet and therefore there is no necessity to allow him to take home-cooked food.

Considering the grounds raised by the jail authority, it would not be proper to allow Mr Waze to take home-cooked food.

In a related development, Mr Waze told the court on Wednesday that he has no objection to the application of another former policeman and co-accused Sunil Mane, seeking pardon in the case.

However, the NIA, probing the case opposed Mr Mane's plea.

The probe agency has submitted that it is "crystal clear" that applicant (Mane) is directly involved in the crime of this case along with his co-accused persons and it cannot support his plea.

Mr Mane, in his handwritten application sent to the court in February, stated that he had realised his mistake and the court should consider his "outstanding record" in his police career and give him a chance to "repent his mistake" by tendering pardon in the case.

On February 25, 2021, an explosives-laden SUV was found near Mukesh Ambani's residence 'Antilia' in south Mumbai. Hiran, who said he was in possession of the SUV before it was allegedly stolen, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5, 2021.

Mr Waze is the main accused in the case in which few other police officials were also involved.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)