Mumbai train blast case: SC stays High Court's decision, but accused will remain free

The Supreme Court has given a big verdict in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case. The Supreme Court has stayed the Bombay High Court's decision to acquit twelve accused in this connection.

However, the Supreme Court said that there is no ban on the release of the accused, and they will not be sent to jail again. Along with this, the court has also issued notice to the accused.

The Maharashtra government had opposed the decision.

Let us tell you that all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bomb blast case were acquitted by the Bombay High Court. The decision was challenged by the Maharashtra government in the Supreme Court, after which the Supreme Court gave its verdict today. A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran, and Justice NV Anjaria heard the petition.

The High Court's decision will not be considered a precedent.

A bench of Justices MM Sundaresh and N Kotishwar Singh issued notices to all the accused in the case and sought their response on the appeal filed by the state government. The apex court said that the High Court's decision will not be considered a precedent.

On Monday, a special High Court bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak acquitted all the 12 accused and said that the prosecution had completely failed to prove the case and "it is difficult to believe that the accused have committed the crime".

The special court had awarded a death sentence to five of the 12 and life imprisonment to seven. One of the death row convicts died in 2021.

180 people died in the bomb blast

More than 180 people were killed in seven blasts in Mumbai local trains at various places on July 11, 2006. The High Court accepted the appeals of the accused challenging their conviction and sentence awarded to them by a special court in 2015.

The High Court's decision brought a major embarrassment to the Maharashtra ATS, which was investigating the case. The agency claimed that the accused were members of the banned organisation Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and these members had conspired with Pakistani members of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

What did the government say?

Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, on behalf of the government, had mentioned the state government's appeal against the High Court's July 21 decision for an urgent hearing. Mehta had said that this is a serious matter. The special leave petition (SLP) is ready. Please list it on Wednesday. It is urgent... some important issues are yet to be considered.