NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail for three weeks to retired high-profile Mumbai police officer and encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, arrested in connection with the sensational Mansukh Hiran murder case.

A vacation bench of Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal said Sharma would be released on bail for three weeks to take care of his ailing wife.

The court said his release would be subject to terms and conditions as fixed by the trial court.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Sharma, said his wife was ill and required to undergo surgeries.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati for the NIA opposed the plea. She sought direction for production of medical records for verification of claims.

The court said the matter would be fixed for consideration again on June 26 after three weeks. It directed for furnishing of records with regard to treatment.

Sharma claimed that the health condition of the wife is deteriorating each passing day and she is in dire need of immediate surgery.

“Petitioner’s mother is 93 years old and his wife is her primary caregiver. Due to the current medical complications of the wife, there is nobody to look after the wife and mother. The petitioner is the only male member to take care of his wife and old aged mother,” it said.

Sharma has been in custody in the case since June 17, 2021.

An SUV laden with gelatin and a death threat to the Ambani family was found abandoned near the iconic Antilia building on February 25, 2021. A few days later on March 5, the vehicle owner Hiran was found dead in the Thane Creek.

The National Investigation Agency, which took over the probe from Maharashtra Police, arrested Sharma, along with others. It claimed Sharma allegedly conspired with another sacked policeman Sachin Vaze to finish off Hiran, considered a 'weak link' in the entire conspiracy to terrorise industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family.

The NIA said that Hiran was in the know of the entire plot and the accused Sharma-Vaze were worried that he would spill the beans on them, so they plotted to eliminate him.