The petition challenged the Pune sessions court’s authority to grant an extension and take cognizance of the chargesheet in an NIA case, as it is not a special NIA court. The petitioners argued this made the order null and void, entitling them to default bail. The state countered that a sessions court can grant extensions when the case is investigated by state police, not the NIA. The court’s decision highlighted jurisdictional issues in NIA cases. Sudha Bharadwaj was granted bail on 1st December 2021.
