Defence lawyer team, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s dogged pursuit of justice

In September 2015, five of the 13 men tried for their alleged roles in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts were handed a death sentence. On Monday, after 10 years on death row, the Bombay high court not only spared them the gallows but declared them free men. Seven others who were sentenced to life imprisonment similarly stood acquitted of all charges. While one accused died in jail in 2021, 11 of them are set to walk out of different prisons.

- Jyoti Punwani and Mayura Janwalkar

It's been a dogged pursuit of justice not only for the accused but a team of defence lawyers that built a case for acquittal that convinced the Bombay high court. Two former high court judges and successful defence lawyers came on board with the help of the Maharashtra branch of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a prominent organisation of Islamic scholars.

Lawyer Ansar Tamboli said that counsel Yug Chaudhry was central to the defence team. With former high court judges S Murlidhar and Nagamuthu coming on board, the team was fortified. Lawyers Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy represented all the accused in the case and made common arguments for them during the morning and afternoon sessions of the hearings, respectively. Senior counsels Nagamuthu and Murlidhar, and senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan argued for two accused each.