All 12 accused in 2006 Mumbai train blast case acquitted, High Court cancels death sentence due to lack of evidence.

On 11 July 2006, seven blasts in Mumbai's local trains shook the entire country. After nearly 19 years, the Bombay High Court has given a major verdict in this case.

The court acquitted 12 people, declaring them innocent. Five of them were sentenced to death by the special court, and the rest were sentenced to life imprisonment. The court says that the prosecution has completely failed to prove the case.

This verdict came nearly two decades after the tragic incident, when a series of blasts in Mumbai's local trains destroyed hundreds of lives.

The special bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak said that the prosecution had completely failed to prove the case. The court stressed that there were many flaws in the evidence and the statements of the witnesses, which weakened the case.

The court did not believe the witnesses.

The court termed the statements of almost all the prosecution witnesses as unreliable. The verdict said that it was difficult for the taxi drivers and the people present on the train to remember the accused 100 days after the blasts. The court clearly said that the testimony given after such a long time cannot be trusted.

Apart from this, the court also rejected the recovery of evidence like bombs, guns, and maps. The court said that the prosecution could not prove what kind of bomb was used in the blasts. Therefore, this recovered evidence was not considered related to the case.

What was the 2006 Mumbai Blast Case?

On 11 July 2006, in the evening, when Mumbai's local trains were packed with passengers, RDX bombs exploded at seven places.

These blasts took place in Khar-Santacruz, Bandra-Khar, Jogeshwari, Mahim, Mira Road-Bhayander, Matunga-Mahim and Borivali. Within just 11 minutes, these blasts shook the city. Initially seven separate FIRs were registered, but later the case was handed over to the ATS.

The ATS had filed a chargesheet under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In 2015, the lower court convicted 12 out of 13 people, but one person, Wahid Sheikh, was acquitted. Now this decision of the High Court has declared the remaining 12 people innocent as well.