Bombay HC acquits all 12 accused in 2006 Mumbai train blasts case

HC says 'hard to believe' they committed the crime

- MPOST BUREAU

Nineteen years after coordinated bombings on Mumbai's suburban trains claimed over 180 lives, the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in the case, citing major lapses in the prosecution's investigation and expressing serious doubt over the authenticity of evidence presented during trial.

Delivering its 671-page verdict, a special bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak concluded that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to prove the charges against the accused and that the evidence, including alleged confessions and witness accounts, lacked credibility.

"The prosecution has utterly failed to prove the case against the accused. It is hard to believe that the accused committed the crime," the bench stated, ordering the immediate release of all 12 if they are not wanted in any other case.

The July 11, 2006, serial bombings, which targeted first-class coaches of Mumbai's Western Railway during peak hours, had left more than 180 dead and hundreds injured. At the time, investigators alleged that the bombings were a result of a conspiracy hatched by members of the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in collaboration with operatives from Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).