India, March 9 -- A special court designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday rejected the discharge plea of dismissed Mumbai police constable Vinayak Shinde, who is accused of involvement in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case and the murder of businessman Mansukh Hiren.

Shinde was arrested by the NIA in March 2021 for his alleged role in the twin crimes. On May 11, 2021, he was officially dismissed from the Mumbai police force. The court observed that the conspiracy was orchestrated from November 2020 and noted that Shinde was a close associate of Sachin Waze, the dismissed police officer believed to be the mastermind behind the case.

Special sessions Judge AM Patil ruled that Shinde was fully aware of the larger c...