Bombay High Court Acquits All Accused in 2006 Mumbai Train Blasts Case
On Monday, the Bombay High Court overturned the convictions of all 12 individuals found guilty in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. This group included five who had been given the death penalty and seven serving life sentences. The decision follows nearly 20 years after the coordinated terror attack that resulted in 187 fatalities and more than 820 injuries.
The ruling was handed down by a division bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam C Chandak, who concluded that the prosecution did not successfully prove the accused's guilt. The court indicated that it was implausible the accused were responsible for the crime, leading to the annulment of all convictions.
On the evening of July 11, 2006, a series of seven explosions hit first-class compartments of Mumbai’s suburban trains on the Western Railway line between 6:23 pm and 6:28 pm. These blasts took place in moving trains near locations such as Matunga, Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali, and Mira Road.
The bombs were reportedly set to detonate in rapid succession to maximize damage. The explosions tore apart the steel coaches, scattering bodies and debris across tracks and platforms. Some of the victims included passengers waiting at the stations for trains.
In 2015, a special MCOCA court had sentenced five men — 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 execution. Seven others received life sentences.
The sole individual acquitted during the 2015 trial was Abdul Wahid Din Mohammad Shaikh. With the High Court's latest ruling, all 12 remaining defendants have been acquitted.
The prosecution argued that the attacks were orchestrated to cause widespread destruction and panic. However, the High Court deemed the evidence insufficient to uphold the convictions, leading to the dismissal of all charges against the accused.
