Supreme Court to hear Maharashtra govt's plea challenging acquittal of 12 accused in 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday agreed to hear, on 24 July, the Maharashtra government’s plea challenging the Bombay High Court’s verdict acquitting all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bomb blasts case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai, alongside Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria, listed the matter for Thursday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the state, mentioned it for urgent listing, citing an “element of urgency”.

The Bombay High Court, on Monday, acquitted all 12 men, stating that the prosecution had “utterly failed” to prove its case. The bench remarked it was “hard to believe the accused committed the crime”. The devastating serial blasts claimed over 180 lives and injured hundreds more.

‘Maharashtra ATS Tortured Accused, Officers Were Frustrated’: Bombay HC

Delivering a scathing observation, the Bombay High Court noted that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) subjected the accused to the “most inhuman and barbaric” torture. 

According to the Bombay High Court, ATS officers, frustrated during the probe, extracted confessional statements from the accused, rendering them inadmissible as evidence.

After evaluating the evidence, a special division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak remarked that the accused had been held in prolonged police custody, up to 76 days. The judges observed that the accused withdrew their confessions the moment they were presented before the court for judicial custody.

“It is well known that, in most of the cases, police are in habit of extorting confessions by illegal and improper means, including by causing torture. It is a settled law that confessions obtained in this manner must be excluded from evidence as it is not safe to receive a statement made by an accused under any influence of fear or favour,” LiveLaw quoted the Bombay HC bench.

The Bombay High Court further noted: “The main thrust of the argument is that the accused were in prolonged police custody spanning from 24 days to 76 days. During this period, and just before recording the confessional statements of the accused, while seeking remand of the accused, it was the consistent case of the prosecution that the accused are not co-operating.”

What Is the 7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts Case?

The 7/11 Mumbai train blasts refer to the coordinated series of bomb explosions that rocked Mumbai’s suburban railway network on 11 July 2006. Within a span of 11 minutes, seven bombs went off in first-class compartments of packed local trains during peak evening hours.

The Mumbai train blasts attacks killed over 180 people and left more than 800 injured, making it one of the deadliest terror strikes in India’s history. The Maharashtra ATS arrested multiple suspects, alleging a conspiracy linked to terror outfits operating from across the border.