Bombay High Court Acquits All 12 Accused in 2006 Mumbai Train Blasts Case
Mumbai, July 21, 2025: In a notable judgement, the Bombay High Court today acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, citing the prosecution’s failure to provide conclusive evidence. The ruling, delivered by a special bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak, overturned the 2015 convictions that sentenced five men to death and seven to life imprisonment.
On July 11, 2006, seven coordinated bomb blasts tore through Mumbai’s suburban railway network during rush hour, targeting first-class compartments on the Western Line. The attacks, executed within a span of 11 minutes, claimed 189 lives and injured over 800 commuters, shaking the city and prompting a massive counter-terrorism operation.
These individuals later charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In 2015, a special court convicted 12 of the 13 accused, with five – Kamal Ansari, Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan, and Asif Khan – sentenced to death, and the remaining seven receiving life terms.
The High Court’s decision comes after six months of hearings, concluding on January 31, 2025, during which the defence challenged the reliability of the prosecution’s evidence. The court found significant flaws, including unreliable witness testimonies, questionable identification parades, and confessional statements allegedly extracted through coercion. “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 declared, quashing the convictions and refusing to confirm the death penalties. The judges noted that taxi drivers and other witnesses failed to provide credible identification, and the recovery of evidence, such as explosives and maps, lacked forensic validation.
Defence lawyers argued that confessions obtained under MCOCA were unreliable, citing allegations of physical and mental torture by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). They also pointed to investigations suggesting the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen, supported by a confession from one of its members, which further muddied the prosecution’s case. Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare, who argued for three months, maintained that the evidence warranted capital punishment, describing the case as one of the “rarest of rare.” However, the court’s ruling underscored procedural lapses and a lack of evidence to sustain the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The acquittal has sparked mixed reactions.
The Maharashtra government and prosecution are now considering an appeal to the Supreme Court, with Thakare noting that the judgement could serve as a “guiding light” for future trials.
