The Bombay High Court heard arguments from S. Muralidhar, who urged the acquittal of convicts in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, citing their 18 years of wrongful imprisonment without credible evidence. Muralidhar criticized the investigations for bias and torture, urging the court to correct these injustices. Hearings will continue, with prosecution arguments next.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday (Jan 13th) heard impassioned arguments from senior counsel S. Muralidhar, who urged the court to acquit the convicts in the July 11, 2006, Mumbai train blasts case, asserting their innocence. Speaking before a special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak, Muralidhar claimed that the accused have endured 18 years of incarceration despite a lack of evidence.
On July 11, 2006, seven blasts tore through local trains on Mumbai’s western line, killing over 180 people and injuring several others. In September 2015, a trial court convicted 12 individuals, sentencing five to death and seven to life imprisonment. The Maharashtra government filed an appeal in the High Court seeking confirmation of the death sentences, while the convicts challenged their convictions and sentences.
Since 2015, the appeals have faced significant delays, with hearings coming before 11 different benches but not progressing. In 2024, Etheshaam Siddiqui, one of the convicts sentenced to death, filed an application seeking expedited hearings.
Muralidhar alleged a “pattern of communal bias” in the investigations conducted by the State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in terror-related cases. He argued that confessional statements were extracted under torture and that the investigation presumed the guilt of the accused without concrete evidence.
“There is a bias in the investigation. Innocent people are sent to jail, and years later, they are released for want of evidence. Which means there is no possibility for reconstruction of their lives,”
Muralidhar submitted.
He added,
“For 18 years, these accused are in jail. They have not stepped out even for a day since then. The majority part of their prime life is gone.”
Highlighting systemic issues, Muralidhar pointed out a history of failed investigations in terror cases, where innocents are arrested and later acquitted.
“In many such terror-related cases, investigating agencies have failed us miserably. First of all, we have lost so many lives, and then innocents are arrested. And after years, the accused are acquitted, and no one gets closure,”
he said.
Muralidhar urged the court to “set things right” by acquitting the accused and overturning their convictions. “The court has to ensure justice in this matter,” he emphasized.
The special bench, which has been conducting day-to-day hearings on the case for the past five months, will continue hearing Muralidhar’s arguments on Tuesday. Following the defense, special public prosecutor Raja Thakare will present arguments for the prosecution.
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