Another cop gets bail in Sadiq case

AHMEDABAD: A CBI court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to retired deputy superintendent of police K M Waghela who is allegedly involved in the 2003 Sadiq Jamal Mehtar encounter case.
Special CBI judge M M Gandhi ordered Waghela’s release on bail bonds of Rs 50,000. He has also surrendered his passport. Waghela has also been asked to stay away from witnesses and not tamper with evidence.
During the hearing, Waghela’s lawyer Virat Popat sought bail on the ground of parity that police sub inspector R L Mavani was granted bail earlier. He argued that the chargesheet did not mention any overt act on part of Waghela and he was arraigned merely on basis that he was allegedly present on the spot of encounter, though no sufficient evidence has been furnished by CBI.
Popat also contended that Waghela is a retired cop and hence he is not in a position to influence witnesses.
Sadiq was killed on January 13, 2003 in Naroda. After the encounter, he was dubbed as a terrorist who was on a mission to kill then chief minister Narendra Modi at the behest of terror outfits based in Pakistan.