In a significant legal development, the Bombay High Court has acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in connection with the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 187 people and left over 820 injured. This ruling marks nearly two decades since the coordinated attacks that devastated the city.
The division bench, comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam C Chandak, delivered the verdict on Monday, stating that the prosecution had failed to convincingly establish the guilt of the accused. The court expressed skepticism regarding the likelihood that the individuals had committed the crimes and subsequently quashed all prior convictions.
The horrifying events unfolded on the evening of July 11, 2006, when seven bomb explosions rocked first-class compartments of Mumbai’s suburban trains on the Western Railway line within a span of just five minutes. The blasts occurred near key locations in the city, including Matunga, Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali, and Mira Road. The bombs were reportedly designed to detonate in quick succession to maximize casualties and chaos, resulting in extensive destruction and horrific scenes.
In the aftermath of the blasts, a special court in 2015 sentenced five of the accused — Kamal Ahmed Mohammed Vakil Ansari, Mohammed Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddique, Naveed Hussain Khan Rasheed Hussain Khan, and Asif Khan Bashir Khan — to death, while seven others received life imprisonment. Meanwhile, Abdul Wahid Din Mohammad Shaikh was the sole individual acquitted in that trial.
Despite the serious nature of the prosecution’s allegations, which claimed the attacks were meant to instill widespread fear and destruction, the High Court found the evidence presented to be insufficient to uphold the convictions. As a result, the court dismissed all charges against the accused, leading to their acquittal.
This verdict has reignited discussions around the judicial process and the standards of evidence required to secure convictions in high-profile terror cases, highlighting the complexities and challenges that often accompany such investigations.
