On July 21, 2025, the Bombay High Court delivered a landmark judgment, acquitting all 12 individuals previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, a terror attack that claimed 189 lives and injured over 800 people. The decision, pronounced by a special bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak, overturned the 2015 convictions by a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court, which had sentenced five of the accused to death and seven to life imprisonment. The court cited the prosecution’s “utter failure” to prove the case, pointing to unreliable evidence, questionable identification procedures, and coerced confessions. This ruling, coming 19 years after the devastating attacks, has reignited debates about justice, investigative lapses, and the human cost of prolonged incarceration.
The 2006 Mumbai Train Blasts: A Tragic Chapter
On July 11, 2006, Mumbai’s Western Railway network was rocked by seven coordinated bomb blasts within 11 minutes, from 6:24 pm to 6:35 pm, during peak evening hours. The explosions targeted first-class compartments of suburban trains at stations including Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar, and Borivali. The bombs, concealed in pressure cookers and laced with RDX, were designed for maximum devastation, ripping through steel roofs and causing widespread panic. The attacks killed 189 people, injured over 800, and left an indelible scar on the city, marking one of India’s deadliest terror incidents.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) took over the investigation, filing seven separate First Information Reports (FIRs) before consolidating them under stringent laws like MCOCA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The ATS arrested 13 individuals, while 15 others were declared wanted, some allegedly in Pakistan. The investigation pointed to the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen, with confessions from its members later corroborating the group’s role.
The Trial and Convictions
After an eight-year trial, a special MCOCA court in 2015 convicted 12 of the 13 accused. Five individuals—Mohammad Faisal Shaikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Siddiqui, and Naveed Khan—were sentenced to death for allegedly planting the bombs. Seven others—Mohammed Sajid Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Dr. Tanveer Ansari, Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh, and Zamir Shaikh—received life imprisonment for their role in the conspiracy. One accused, Wahid Shaikh, was acquitted after spending nine years in jail. The trial involved 192 prosecution witnesses, 51 defense witnesses, two court witnesses, and 252 affidavits from injured victims, with evidence spanning 169 volumes and death sentence judgments nearing 2,000 pages.
The Maharashtra government sought confirmation of the death penalties from the Bombay High Court, while the convicts appealed their sentences, alleging investigative and procedural flaws. The appeals remained pending for nearly a decade, with 11 different High Court benches unable to conclude the case until a special bench was constituted in July 2024, following a plea for expedited hearing by Ehtesham Siddiqui, one of the death row convicts.
The Bombay High Court’s Verdict
The Bombay High Court’s ruling on July 21, 2025, marked a dramatic reversal. Justices Kilor and Chandak, after a six-month hearing, quashed the convictions, declaring that the prosecution had “utterly failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.” The bench highlighted several critical flaws in the prosecution’s case:
Unreliable Witnesses: The court found key prosecution witnesses untrustworthy. One witness, notably, had testified in multiple unrelated cases, including the Ghatkopar blast case, undermining their credibility. The bench also noted that some witnesses remained silent for years—some for over four years—before identifying the accused, which the court deemed “abnormal” and unreliable.
Questionable Identification Parades: The Test Identification Parades (TIPs) were heavily criticized. The defense, led by advocates like Dr. S. Muralidhar, a former Orissa High Court Chief Justice, argued that the parades were flawed and biased, with witnesses unable to credibly recall the accused after nearly 100 days.
Coerced Confessions: The court accepted defense arguments that confessions obtained under MCOCA were extracted through physical and mental torture. Senior advocate Muralidhar highlighted systemic biases in the investigation, alleging that the ATS assumed guilt prematurely, tainting the probe.
Insufficient Evidence: The bench found the prosecution’s evidence inconclusive, failing to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The court emphasized that it was “hard to believe” the accused committed the crime, granting them the benefit of doubt.
The court ordered the immediate release of the 11 surviving convicts—Kamal Ansari had died of Covid-19 in 2021—unless wanted in other cases. Each was required to execute a personal bond of Rs. 25,000. The accused, appearing via video conference from various Maharashtra jails, expressed gratitude to their legal teams.
Reactions and Implications
The acquittal has elicited mixed reactions. Families of the victims expressed shock and disappointment, with many questioning how no one has been held accountable for the loss of 189 lives after nearly two decades. Posts on X reflected public frustration, with users like @Indian_Analyzer and @WokePandemic calling the verdict a “failure of the system” and questioning who would answer for the victims”