The Bombay High Court in Mumbai has granted bail to Sayyed Aakif Sayyad Zafaruddin, a life convict in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case, after he spent 20 years in prison. The court's decision was based on a lack of adequate evidence linking him to the procurement and transportation of the seized arms, which included 16 AK-47 rifles, 3,200 live cartridges, and 43 kg of RDX. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had intercepted a vehicle in May 2006, leading to the discovery of these weapons, which were allegedly intended for terrorist acts in retaliation for the 2002 Gujarat riots. Aakif's counsel argued that he had no knowledge of the arms' transportation and that no direct actions could be attributed to him. The court noted that previous confessions from other accused were not sufficient to sustain his conviction. Despite opposition from the prosecution, which cited his alleged connections to terrorist groups, the court ordered his release on bail with a personal bond of ₹2 lakh and two sureties of the same amount.