Mumbai: Ex-cop Sachin Waze seeks release from jail in corruption case

Sachin Waze a former police officer has filed a writ petition with the Bombay High Court seeking release from incarceration in a corruption case in which he became an approver in June 2022 The issue concerns former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh who is now on bailA division bench of Justices N R Borkar and Somasekhar Sundaresan served a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI which is investigating the case and requested a response The hearing is scheduled for June 14 reported PTIAccording to the news agency report in his handwritten appeal Waze argued that the pardon granted to him upon becoming approver had not been carried out in its letter and spiritHe alleged that he became involved in the crime due to pressure from Deshmukh the thenHome Minister of Maharashtra Despite participating in the investigation and thoroughly reporting the circumstances Waze is still detained at Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai the PTI report addedPer the news agency report the CBI filed a corruption investigation against Deshmukh in response to charges by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh that the NCP leader commanded police officials to collect Rs 100 crore per month from Mumbai eateries and bars after becoming Home MinisterWaze is also charged in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate as well as the Antilia bomb scare and the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran The NIA apprehended him in the Antilia bomb scare case in March 2021 and he has been in jail since then the report addedSachin Waze sought permission for a laptop in prisonSachin Waze a former police officer charged in the Antilia bombing and Mansukh Hiran murder cases has asked the court for permission to use a laptop in prison to prepare his defence and publish a book In a handwritten letter to a special court Waze asserted that he had written multiple novels in Marathi and English He mentioned that his book about the 2611 Mumbai terror attacks was translated into English by a wellknown English novelistDuring his current incarceration Waze is working on expanding the edition of his book and producing a treatise on antiterrorism and related legislation He stated that he had authored over 35000 pages while in custody and alluded to over 20000 judgements He contended that having access to a computer is critical for managing the considerable electronic data associated with his caseWaze mentioned that it would be difficult to do his research and create lengthy documents without a computer and necessary software such as MS Office He stressed that having a laptop is critical for him to access analyse analyse and examine the vast volume of dataHowever the jail authorities denied his request citing security concerns They stated that allowing Waze to use a computer could set a precedent for other inmates and lead to antinational activity or plots They also stated that any plans to write a book would require prior clearance from the state government in order to avoid difficulty for prison authorities