2006 Mumbai Train Bombings Case: Bombay HC Acquits 12 Accused After Prosecution Fails To Establish Case

Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, 19 years after the terror attack that killed 189 people and injured 827 others. The High Court ruled that the prosecution had 'utterly failed' to prove the case beyond doubt and quashed the convictions, including five death sentences and seven life imprisonments handed down in 2015 by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court. One convict died due to Covid.

'Prosecution Fails To Prove Case Against Accused': Bombay HC

A special bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak observed that the evidence presented by the prosecution was inconclusive and insufficient to establish the guilt of the accused. “It is hard to believe that the accused committed the crime. The prosecution has utterly failed to prove the case,” the bench stated in its judgment.

Four of the accused who were awarded death sentences were Mohammad Faisal Shaikh, Ehtesham Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan, Asif Khan, all of them bomb planters. The fifth accused sentenced to death, Kamal Ahamed Ansari, also an alleged bomb planter, died due to COVID-19 in 2022.

Details On All Accused In Case

The other seven, Tanvir Ahmed Ansari, Mohammad Majid Shafi, Shaikh Alam Shaikh, Mohd Sajid Ansari, Muzzammil Shaikh, Soheil Mehmood Shaikh and Zamir Ahmad Shaikh, also approached the HC, challenging their life imprisonment.

The accused, appearing via video conference from various prisons across Maharashtra, expressed their gratitude to their legal teams after the verdict was delivered. The court also ordered that the accused be released immediately, provided they are not required in any other case.

Details On Deadly Blasts That Killed 189

The train blasts on July 11, 2006, were among the deadliest terror attacks in Mumbai’s history. Within 11 minutes, seven coordinated explosions ripped through the Western Railway’s suburban train network using RDX, killing commuters and triggering nationwide outrage. The case, initially investigated through seven separate FIRs, was transferred to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which invoked stringent laws including MCOCA and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The chargesheet was filed in November 2006.

Of the 13 accused, 12 were convicted in 2015, while one died before the trial concluded. Additionally, 15 individuals were declared wanted, several of whom were said to be residing in Pakistan. The ATS claimed to have recorded statements from 192 prosecution witnesses, 51 defence witnesses, and submitted 252 affidavits from injured victims who couldn’t testify in person.

Despite multiple attempts by 11 different High Court benches over the years, the appeals could not be concluded until now. The present bench was specially constituted in 2024 after Etheshaam Siddiqui, one of the convicts facing the death penalty, sought an expedited hearing. The bench concluded hearings in January 2025 and delivered its long-awaited verdict today on July 21.