The Supreme Court has stayed the High Court's decision to acquit 12 accused in the Mumbai train blast case. However, the court has not stayed their release.
Mumbai Train Blast Case: In the case related to the serial blasts in Mumbai local trains in 2006, the Supreme Court has stayed the Bombay High Court's decision to acquit 12 accused. However, the court clarified that the release of the accused has not been stayed and they will not be taken back into custody. The apex court will pronounce its final decision during the next hearing in this matter.
Supreme Court's Comment on the High Court's Decision
The Supreme Court bench stated that the Bombay High Court's decision will not be taken as a precedent and cannot be cited in any other case. Along with this, the court has issued notices to all 12 accused seeking their response. This directive was issued by the bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh.
Stay on Maharashtra Government's Appeal
On July 12, 2023, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in this case, stating that the prosecution had failed to produce solid evidence against the accused. The Maharashtra government challenged this decision in the Supreme Court. The state government argued that this case is extremely serious and the High Court's decision ignores several legal aspects.
High Court's Decision and Special Court's Sentence
The High Court's decision stated that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused had any connection to terrorist activities. The court said that in the absence of evidence, it is difficult to believe that the accused committed this crime.
Notably, in 2015, a special court had sentenced 5 out of the 12 accused to death and 7 to life imprisonment. One of these convicts died in 2021. The High Court acquitted all of them in 2023.
Questions on the Role of Maharashtra ATS
This decision is considered a major setback for the Maharashtra ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad). The investigation agency had claimed that all the accused were members of SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) and had carried out this attack in collaboration with the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). After the High Court's decision, questions are now being raised on the ATS's investigation.
What Happened in 2006?
On July 11, 2006, there were seven serial blasts in Mumbai's local trains one after the other. These blasts occurred at different stations on the Western Railway at a time when the trains were most crowded. A total of more than 180 people died in these blasts and more than 800 people were injured. This attack was considered a major attack on the country's security system.
During the hearing in the Supreme Court, the bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran, and Justice NV Anjaria heard the Special Leave Petition (SLP) of the Maharashtra government. During this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that this matter is extremely serious and requires immediate intervention.
