Overview
- A special NIA court formally framed charges against ten accused on Saturday, August 1, 2026, including former Mumbai officers Sachin Waze and Pradeep Sharma, and posted the matter for pre-trial formalities and witness testimony.
- The accused face counts under the Indian Penal Code for murder, abduction, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy, plus provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
- Prosecutors allege Waze led a plot that placed an explosives-laden SUV near Mukesh Ambani’s residence in February 2021, used a Telegram post to suggest terrorist involvement, and then conspired to kill Mansukh Hiran when he would not take blame.
- Some accused, including Sharma, Riyazuddin Kazi, Naresh Gaur and Sunil Mane, are on bail while Waze and five others remain in judicial custody, and the court has allowed Mumbai Police to reclaim a departmental Toyota Innova tied to the probe under strict conditions and a Rs 5,00,000 indemnity bond.
- The framing moves the long-running probe into a public trial where the NIA must prove allegations of staged terror, extortion funding and a linked murder, with witness testimony and forensic records from CFSL Pune set to be central to the case.