Nearly two decades after the 2006 Mumbai local train bombings that killed 189 people and injured over 800, the Bombay High Court on Monday, 21 July 2025, acquitted all 12 men who had been convicted in the case by a special trial court in 2015.
A division bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak set aside the lower court’s verdict, citing serious lapses in the prosecution’s case. The bench ruled that the prosecution had “utterly failed” to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution has utterly failed to prove the case against the accused. It is hard to believe that the accused committed the crime. Hence, their conviction is quashed and set aside,” the court stated. The judges directed that all the accused be released from prison, provided they are not implicated in any other case.
The bench observed that the accused were being given the “benefit of doubt,” pointing to inconsistencies in witness testimonies and the lack of conclusive forensic evidence. It questioned how eyewitnesses could reliably identify suspects more than 100 days after the incident. The court also noted that the materials allegedly recovered during the investigation – explosives, arms, and maps, appeared to be unrelated to the bombings. Furthermore, the prosecution had failed to establish the exact type of explosive devices used in the attacks.
The blasts, which occurred on 11 July 2006, involved seven pressure cooker bombs placed in first-class compartments of Mumbai suburban trains. The coordinated explosions took place over an 11-minute span during the evening rush hour, targeting trains near Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar, and Borivali stations.
In 2015, a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court had convicted 12 men. Five of them, Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui, and Naveed Khan were sentenced to death. The remaining seven, Mohammed Sajid Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Dr. Tanveer Ansari, Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh, and Zamir Shaikh, were given life sentences for their alleged roles in the conspiracy.
Following today’s High Court ruling, all 12 men are expected to be released after spending nearly 19 years behind bars.
(With inputs from NDTV)
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