BB Desk
Nineteen years after the Mumbai train explosions that killed around 189 people and injured 829 others, the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all the 12 accused convicted in the 2006 serial train blasts case. The convictions which included five death sentences and seven life imprisonments imposed by special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) Court in 2015 were quashed by the honourable High Court observing ‘the prosecution had utterly failed to prove the case beyond doubt against the accused on every count’.
The division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak passed the judgement stating, “It’s hard to believe the accused committed the crime. The evidence presented by the prosecution is insufficient and inconclusive to establish guilt of the accused and so it is unsafe to base convictions on it.” The court also ordered immediate release of the accused provided they are not needed in any other case.
The Prosecution’s case was primarily based on confessional statements of the 11 accused which were recorded between 4 and 25th October, 2006, including recoveries made by the ATS, and the eye-witness accounts. In addition to submitting affidavits from 252 injured victims who were unable to testify in person, the ATS also claimed to have recorded testimonies of 192 prosecution witnesses and 51 defence witnesses in the case.
The police too, appeared to have relied mostly on accounts of passengers who claimed they saw some of the accused plant bombs in the train and also two taxi drivers who asserted they ferried two of the accused to Churchgate railway station on 11 July, 2006.
The High court, however rejected the evidence on Monday calling the investigation ‘shoddy’, confessional statements ‘cut-copy-paste’, witness accounts ‘unreliable’, and material evidence ‘handled without care’. The court also raised concerns over the adherence to procedural safeguards and standards while recording statements of the accused.
The July 11, 2006 serial train explosions were one of the deadliest terror attacks in the country. Seven coordinated explosions using RDX tore through the Western Railway’s suburban train network in 11 minutes, killing commuters and sparking public indignation across India.
The case was initially probed using seven distinct FIRs and later transferred to Maharashtra ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad). Total 13 people were arrested by the ATS in the case under stringent laws of MCOCA and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Out of the 13 accused, 12 were convicted in 2015, while one passed away prior to the trial’s conclusion and 15 others were declared as wanted, reportedly living in Pakistan.
Various attempts were made over the years to conclude the case but without success. The current division bench was particularly formed in 2024 on plea of one of the death row prisoner who pursued an expedited hearing. The bench had wrapped up the hearings in January this year and handed down its historic judgement on Monday July 21, 2025.
