BJP leader Kirit Somaiya hails the Supreme Court’s stay on the Bombay High Court verdict in the 2006 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case, and demands the death penalty, saying “hang them all” for the accused.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has stayed the Bombay High Court’s recent judgment that acquitted all 12 accused in the case. This interim relief comes as a response to the Maharashtra government’s intense appeal challenging the acquittals, citing serious flaws in the High Court’s reasoning.
BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya welcomed the Apex Court’s stay and called for the death penalty for all accused.
“All of them should be hanged,”
he said,
On July 22, 2025, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused, observing that the prosecution had utterly failed to prove the case. The court found the evidence insufficient, unreliable, and riddled with gaps, concluding it was “hard to believe the accused committed the crime.”
The judgment sparked immediate outrage, with critics calling it a major setback for India’s anti-terrorism efforts and an embarrassment for the Maharashtra ATS, which had investigated the case.
Welcoming the apex court’s stay, BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya called for the death penalty for all accused. Expressing hope that the Maharashtra government would present a water-tight case before the Supreme Court, he said,
“All of them should be hanged.”
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar echoed the sentiment, reaffirming the state’s resolve. He assured,
“The government will put up the case strongly again, hiring the best lawyers. The accused will be punished.”
However, the Supreme Court made it clear that its stay on the acquittal should not be treated as a precedent, and notably, it declined to send the acquitted persons back to prison, for now.
Government’s Objections to the Aquital
The Maharashtra government’s appeal raises critical concerns about the High Court’s rationale:
- Disregard for RDX Recovery: The High Court reportedly dismissed the recovery of RDX from an accused based on a “hyper-technical” flaw, the absence of a lac seal on the evidence.
- Neglect of MCOCA Safeguards: The government contends that procedural requirements under Section 23(2) of MCOCA were meticulously followed, including sanction from high-ranking officers like Anami Roy (PW-185).
- Consistency in Prosecution’s Case: It argues that the High Court ignored the overall coherence of evidence and the absence of any major contradictions.
“What Is the Hurry?”: Supreme Court Questions Maharashtra’s Urgency in 7/11 Mumbai Blasts Appeal
Supreme Court Stays Bombay HC’s Acquittal Judgment
The Supreme Court has stayed the Bombay High Court’s order acquitting all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case.
A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh clarified that while the accused have already been released and won’t be sent back to jail, the stay applies specifically to the legal findings of the High Court judgment, which will not serve as a precedent in future cases.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had urged the court to stay the ruling, not to reverse the release, but to prevent adverse implications for other MCOCA trials. The Supreme Court agreed, stating,
“The judgment shall not be treated as a precedent.”
The bench also raised concerns about some of the accused being Pakistani nationals and the potential risk of their absconding.
Background
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.
Bombay High Court
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.
Case Title: The State of Maharashtra v. Kamal Ahmed Mohd. Vakil Ansari and Ors
CONFIRMATION CASE NO. 02 OF 2015
READ JUDGMENT HERE
Click Here to Read More Reports On 7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts
