Today, On 21st July, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case, stating, “The prosecution utterly failed in establishing the case beyond reasonable doubts,” including 5 who were on death row.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court acquitted all twelve defendants in the 2006 7/11 train blasts case, nearly a decade after a special court sentenced five to death and the others to life imprisonment.
A special bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak stated that,
“The prosecution utterly failed in establishing the case beyond reasonable doubts.”
The Court determined that the testimonies of nearly all prosecution witnesses were unreliable. It noted that there was no justification for taxi drivers or train passengers to recall the accused after nearly 100 days post-blast.
Also Read: Accused in 7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts Case Plead Innocence in Bombay High Court
Regarding the evidence recovered, such as bombs, firearms, and maps, the Court deemed it irrelevant, highlighting that the prosecution did not successfully identify the type of bomb used in the attacks.
One of the twelve defendants had passed away in 2021 due to COVID-19. The Court had been reviewing the case since July 2024.
This case involves the series of bomb explosions that took place on July 11, 2006, which resulted in seven bombs detonating in suburban trains on Mumbai’s Western Railway line, killing 189 individuals and injuring 824 others.
After a lengthy trial under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the special court sentenced five accused to death and seven to life imprisonment in October 2015. The sentenced individuals included Kamal Ansari, Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan, and Asif Khan, all found guilty of planting bombs.
Also Read: Bombay HC to Expedite Hearing of Long-Pending Appeals in Mumbai 7/11 Train Blast Case
Kamal Ansari died in 2021 while incarcerated in Nagpur due to COVID-19.
The seven who received life sentences were Tanveer Ahmed Ansari, Mohammed Majid Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Muzzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Suhail Mehmood Shaikh, and Zameer Ahmed Latifur Rehman Shaikh.
The State had appealed to the High Court to uphold the death sentences, while the convicts also sought to overturn their convictions and sentences. The case had been pending in the High Court since 2015, and in 2022, the State indicated that hearings would require at least five to six months due to the substantial evidence involved.
Following numerous requests for expedited resolution, a special bench was formed in July 2024 to hear the case daily.
Senior advocates S. Muralidhar, Yug Mohit Chaudhry, Nitya Ramakrishnan, and S. Nagamuthu represented the accused, arguing that the prosecution’s case was flawed and that the trial court had erred in its convictions.
Conversely, special public prosecutor Raja Thakare, representing the State, advocated for the confirmation of the death sentences, asserting that the case fell within the “rarest of rare” category.
Case Title: The State of Maharashtra v. Kamal Ahmed Mohd. Vakil Ansari and Ors
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