Yunus case: Vaze gets bail

Vaze8217;s bail was granted on a sum of Rs 1 lakh and on the condition that he will not leave the state without permission, nor tamper with evidence or contact witnesses.

The order was passed in a room filled with Mumbai Police officers. But no one was there to represent the victim 8212; Yunus8217;s father, Khwaja Ayub, died last week and his mother is in Parbhani. None of the family8217;s lawyers were present in the court either.

An accused under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in the Ghatkopar blast case of December 2002, Yunus went missing while being taken to Aurangabad for investigations. Vaze and three constables were then escorting him.

In February, a judicial inquiry into the incident failed to reveal anything, and Ayub approached the high court. He filed a habeas corpus, asking the court to probe the matter and 8216;8216;find his son8217;s body8217;8217;.

It was only after the court stepped in that the Crime Investigation Department arrested Vaze on March 3. But they have offered no concrete evidence that he murdered Yunus or took part in any crime.

Vaze8217;s defence advocate Shrikant Shivde argued that his version of events 8212; that Yunus had escaped 8212; could not be labelled false for lack of evidence.