&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "2006 Mumbai train blasts: Bombay HC acquits all 12 accused, says prosecution 'utterly failed' to prove case")
The Bombay High Court on Monday (Jul 21) acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts – 19 years after the terror attack shook the city's Western Rail network and killed over 180 people while injuring dozens of others. A special bench of the Bombay High Court ruled that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to prove the case against the accused and that the evidence relied on by the prosecution was not conclusive to convict the accused persons. The court then ordered the immediate release of all the accused. This important verdict came 19 years after the tragic terror attack.
Why did the court acquitall12men?
In its ruling, the special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak noted that the prosecution lawyers had "utterly failed to prove the case against the accused. It is hard to believe that the accused committed the crime. Hence, their conviction is quashed and set aside," said the special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak.
Who were the 12 men acquitted after 17 years in jail?
Reports identify the five men sentenced to death over the terror attack as Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui and Naveed Khan. They allegedly planted bombs on the trains. The other seven were sentenced to life imprisonment. They've been identified as Mohammed Sajid Ansari - accused of preparing the electrical circuits for the bombs; Mohammed Ali, who supposedly provided his Govandi residence to make the bombs; Dr Tanveer Ansari, one of the conspirators; and four others, Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh and Zamir Shaikh, accused of providing logistical support.
What happened during the 2006 Mumbai train blasts?
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On 11 July 2006, a series of bomb blasts took place at seven different places in India's financial capital, Mumbai. The multiple blasts in Mumbai local trains all happened within 11 minutes and claimed the lives of 189 people, while over 827 others were injured. The explosives were placed in first-class compartments of trains at the Churchgate. The bombs exploded near the stations of Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar and Borivali.
A charge sheet in the case was filed in November 2006, over nine years after the tragic blasts. In 2015, a trial court convicted 12 people in the blast case. Of these, five were sentenced to death and seven were awarded life in prison. However, now, after 17 years in jail, the 12 people have been acquitted.
