The Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 men convicted in connection with the deadly 2006 Mumbai train bombings, a case that claimed 187 lives and injured over 800 people. The court overturned a 2015 verdict that had sentenced five of the accused to death and the other seven to life imprisonment, ruling that the prosecution had “utterly failed” to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The two-judge bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak emphasised that the evidence presented was inconclusive, noting that witness statements lacked reliability and the explosives and materials allegedly recovered bore no proven link to the attacks. The prosecution failed to even identify the type of bombs used. The judges described it as hard to believe the accused committed the crime, thus setting aside their convictions and ordering their release, subject to any other pending cases.
The bombings on July 11, 2006, involved seven blasts on Mumbai’s suburban trains during evening rush hour, using pressure cooker bombs hidden in bags, targeting crowded first-class compartments. The tragic event marked one of India’s deadliest terror attacks.
The acquittal sparked wide reactions, with critics and human rights advocates highlighting the prolonged detention of the men many of whom spent nearly two decades behind bars and condemning investigative failures. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi described it as a “complete failure” of the police and called for accountability from investigating agencies and political leadership at the time.
Families of the accused expressed relief but also grief over years lost and suffering endured during their detention. The prosecution has the option to appeal the High Court’s judgment in a higher court.
The verdict raises questions about legal processes and the challenges of securing convictions in complex terrorism cases, underscoring the imperative for thorough and fair investigations to uphold justice.