Explore the full chronology of the 7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts case and detailed profiles of the 12 accused who were recently acquitted by the Bombay HC.
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MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case after a special court awarded death and life sentences. The division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Court found witness testimonies unreliable and questioned the credibility of evidence recovery, noting that the prosecution couldn’t even identify the type of bomb used. One accused, Kamal Ansari, had died in custody in 2021 due to COVID-19.
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The blasts, which killed 189 and injured 824 in Mumbai’s suburban trains, had led to convictions under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2015. The High Court heard appeals and the State’s plea for confirmation of the death penalty, but ultimately found the investigation and trial flawed.
Background of the Case
On the evening of July 11, 2006, Mumbai witnessed one of the deadliest terror attacks in its history when seven coordinated bomb blasts through the first-class compartments of suburban trains operating on the Western Railway line, between 6:23 PM and 6:29 PM, during peak commuting hours.
The explosions took place at or near stations such as Matunga, Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali, and Mira Road, resulting in the tragic loss of 187 lives and injuring 824 people.
The bombs, made with high-intensity RDX and fitted with timer devices, were strategically planted to cause maximum destruction.
The investigation was undertaken by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which later invoked stringent anti-terror laws, including the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A total of 13 accused were arrested and tried, while 15 others remained absconding, including two Pakistani nationals believed to be key conspirators.
The prosecution alleged that the conspiracy was hatched to wage war against the Government of India and that the attacks were facilitated by terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba with local support from operatives of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
The case eventually led to several convictions, including multiple death sentences and life imprisonments, after a prolonged and complex judicial process.
Chronology of Events in 2006 Mumbai Train Blasts Case
On July 11, 2006, between 6:23 PM and 6:29 PM, seven coordinated bomb blasts struck the first-class compartments of Mumbai suburban trains during the peak evening rush hour, resulting in 187 deaths and over 824 injuries. The blasts occurred at or near Matunga, Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali, and Mira Road stations.
On July 12, 2006, the Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra, ordered the transfer of all seven cases to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for unified investigation.
Subsequently, between July 19 and 20, the ATS arrested Kamal Ansari (Accused-1) from Basopatti, Bihar, where a search of his house led to the seizure of 500 grams of RDX, later confirmed by forensic testing.
From July 23 to August 12, several other accused were arrested, including Tanveer Ansari (A-2), Zameer Ahmed (A-11), Suhail Sheikh (A-10), Faisal Rehman (A-3), Muzzamil Sheikh (A-9), and Ehtesham Siddique (A-4).
On September 17, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was invoked, and two days later, on September 18, a proposal to apply MCOCA was submitted, receiving approval on September 24.
Further arrests followed between September 29 and October 3, with Majid Shaikh (A-5), Alam Shaikh (A-6), Sajid Ansari (A-7), and Wahiduddin Shaikh (A-8) being detained on September 29, Naveed Khan (A-12) on September 30, and Asif Khan (A-13) on October 3.
On October 13, the ATS officially registered a consolidated case under CR No. 5/2006, treating all seven blasts as part of a single conspiracy under MCOCA, UAPA, and related laws.
On October 22, a Maruti car linked to A-3 Faisal, containing traces of RDX, was seized in Millat Nagar, Andheri.
Later, on November 7, a key eyewitness (PW-57) identified Kamal Ansari during a Test Identification Parade as the individual who had placed a bomb bag on one of the trains, further strengthening the prosecution’s case.
READ MORE: Accused in 7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts Case Plead Innocence in Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court Today
The Bombay High Court, on July 21, acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case, including five men who had been sentenced to death by a special court in 2015. The Court ruled that
“The prosecution had utterly failed in establishing the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
A special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak found the testimonies of prosecution witnesses unreliable and questioned how taxi drivers and train passengers could recall the accused after a gap of nearly 100 days. The Court also dismissed the relevance of recovered evidence, bombs, firearms, and maps, since the prosecution had not even identified the type of bomb used.
The 2006 blasts occurred on July 11 in first-class compartments of Mumbai’s Western Railway suburban trains, killing 189 people and injuring 824. The case, investigated under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), had led to the conviction of 13 men in 2015, five sentenced to death and seven to life imprisonment. One of the death row convicts, Kamal Ansari, died in custody in 2021 due to COVID-19.
The case remained pending in the High Court for years, with the State seeking confirmation of the death sentences and the convicts appealing their convictions. A special bench was finally set up in July 2024 for day-to-day hearings.
Senior advocates S. Muralidhar, Yug Mohit Chaudhry, Nitya Ramakrishnan, and S. Nagamuthu represented the accused, contending that the prosecution’s case was deeply flawed. Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare, appearing for the State, argued that the convictions deserved to be upheld as the case qualified as “the rarest of rare.”
12 Accused Acquitted by Bombay High Court
In the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, a special MCOCA court in 2015 had convicted 12 men, five were sentenced to death, and seven to life imprisonment, under various stringent laws including IPC, UAPA, MCOCA, Explosive Substances Act, and the Railways Act.
Among those sentenced to death were Kamal Ansari (who died in prison in 2021), Mohammad Faisal Shaikh, Ehtesham Siddique, Naveed Khan, and Asif Khan. They faced multiple charges including conspiracy to wage war against the nation, murder (Section 302 IPC), attempt to murder (Section 307 IPC), use of explosives (UAPA and Explosive Substances Act), and destruction of public property, among others. Each death sentence was accompanied by heavy fines and multiple life imprisonments for additional offences.
The remaining accused, Tanveer Ansari, Majid Shaikh, Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Sajid Ansari, Muzzammil Shaikh, Suhail Shaikh, and Zameer Shaikh, were sentenced to life imprisonment on numerous counts under conspiracy (Section 120-B IPC), terrorism-related offences (Sections 16 and 20 of UAPA), and organized crime (Sections 3(1), 3(2), and 3(4) of MCOCA), with additional punishments under the Railways Act and Explosives Act. Some of them were also charged under sedition (Section 124A IPC) and various provisions of the Passport Act, though acquitted of those specific charges.
On July 21, 2025, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused, holding that the prosecution “utterly failed” to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Name of 12 Accuseds:
A.1 – Kamal Ansari
A.2 – Tanveer Ansari
A.3 – Mohd. Faisal Shaikh
A.4 – Ehtesham Siddique
A.5 – Mohd. Majid
A.6 – Shaikh Mohd. Ali Alam Shaikh
A.7 – Sajid Ansari
A.9 – Muzzammil Shaikh
A.10 – Suhail Shaikh
A.11 – Zameer Shaikh
A.12 – Naveed Khan
A.13 – Asif Khan
Case Title: The State of Maharashtra v. Kamal Ahmed Mohd. Vakil Ansari and Ors
CONFIRMATION CASE NO. 02 OF 2015
READ JUDGMENT HERE
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