2006 Mumbai Train Blast: All 12 Acquitted Today.
Within a span of just 11 minutes, seven bomb blasts tore through local trains during the busy evening rush hour. The coordinated explosions targeted first-class compartments across the Western Railway line. A total of 189 innocent people lost their lives, and over 800 were injured. The attacks caused widespread panic and grief, shaking the entire nation. However, today, all 12 surviving convicts have been acquitted by the Bombay High Court.
Mumbai, July 21:
Nineteen years after a series of devastating bomb blasts on Mumbai’s suburban railway network killed 189 people and injured more than 800 others, the Bombay High Court today acquitted all
The division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak delivered the verdict, overturning the 2015 ruling by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court that had found the accused guilty. The judges pointed to several inconsistencies in the evidence presented and questioned the credibility of witness testimonies.
The court emphasized that the accused were being given the “benefit of doubt,” noting that the investigation and subsequent trial were riddled with gaps and weak evidentiary links. A major concern raised by the bench was regarding the reliability of witness statements recorded over 100 days after the blasts. “It is not reasonably possible for a person to clearly remember a suspect’s face after such a long time,” the court observed.
The 2006 blasts had shaken Mumbai to its core. The deadly attacks, carried out within a span of 11 minutes, targeted peak-hour commuters, resulting in massive chaos, panic, and a tragic loss of lives. The horror of the incident left a permanent scar on the city’s memory.
Following an extensive investigation, 13 individuals were arrested and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges related to terrorism and conspiracy under MCOCA. The prosecution had argued that the accused were members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and had conspired to carry out the attacks as retaliation for alleged atrocities against Muslims in India.
In September 2015, after a protracted trial lasting over nine years, the special MCOCA court convicted 12 of the 13 accused. Five of them—Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Siddiqui, and Naveed Khan—were sentenced to death for their roles in the bombings. The remaining seven—Mohammed Sajid Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Dr Tanveer Ansari, Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh, and Zamir Shaikh—were sentenced to life imprisonment for being part of the broader conspiracy.
However, over the past decade, lawyers representing the convicted individuals maintained that the charges were based on forced confessions, unreliable witness statements, and circumstantial evidence that did not stand up to legal scrutiny. They contended that the accused had been framed and were victims of a flawed investigation.
Today, the Bombay High Court vindicated those arguments. “The prosecution story is not just weak, it is self-contradictory,” the bench stated in its ruling. It added that it was deeply troubling that such serious charges had resulted in convictions without solid proof.
With this verdict, all 12 individuals, who have spent the better part of two decades behind bars, will now walk free. The High Court has directed the jail authorities to take immediate steps for their release.
The acquittals have sparked varied reactions across the city and the country. While some have welcomed the ruling as a step toward justice for the wrongfully convicted, many families of the victims have expressed shock, grief, and disappointment. “If these 12 men didn’t do it, then who did? Who will give us justice now?” questioned one relative of a deceased commuter.
The Maharashtra government has not yet commented on whether it plans to appeal the acquittals in the Supreme Court. Legal experts suggest that the verdict highlights the urgent need for reforms in investigative procedures and a more cautious approach when invoking anti-terror laws.
As Mumbai remembers one of the darkest days in its history, today’s ruling reopens old wounds and raises difficult questions—not only about justice for the victims but also about accountability in the criminal justice system.