In a dramatic reversal of one of India's most high-profile terror cases, the Bombay High Court on Monday (July 21) acquitted all 12 men previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, which killed 189 people and injured over 800 others.

Nineteen years after the coordinated attacks rocked the city’s suburban rail system, a two-judge bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, thereby overturning the 2015 convictions handed down by a special trial court.

“The prosecution has utterly failed to prove the case against the accused,” the bench stated in its judgment. “It is difficult to believe that the accused committed the crime. Hence, the convictions are quashed and set aside.” The court ordered the release of all 12 men unless they are wanted in any other pending case.

The bench raised serious concerns about the reliability of witness testimonies, pointing out that it was unreasonable to expect accurate identification of suspects more than 100 days after the incident. 

It also noted that recovered materials such as explosives, weapons, and maps presented during the trial did not appear to be linked to the bombings. Additionally, the prosecution failed to prove what kind of explosives were used in the attacks.

The bombings, which took place on July 11, 2006, involved seven explosions on Mumbai’s local trains within just 11 minutes during peak evening hours. The bombs, placed in pressure cookers in first-class compartments, detonated near Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar, and Borivali stations.

In 2015, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court sentenced five men to death and seven others to life imprisonment for their alleged roles in the conspiracy.

Following the High Court's verdict, all 12 individuals are now to be released, marking a stunning legal turnaround in a case that once gripped the nation.

Source: NDTV

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