July 21, 2025: Nineteen years after the devastating 2006 Mumbai train blasts that killed 189 people and injured over 800, the Bombay High Court today acquitted all 12 individuals who had been convicted by a lower court in the serial bombing case.
In 2015, a special trial court had found these 12 accused guilty, sentencing five of them to death and the remaining seven to life imprisonment.
Setting aside the trial court’s order, the High Court bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak stated unequivocally that the prosecution had “utterly failed” to prove the case against the accused.
“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 bench declared. The court further directed that the accused be released from jail immediately, provided they are not wanted in any other ongoing legal matters.
On July 11, 2006, during the evening rush hour, seven coordinated explosions tore through local trains on the Western Railway line in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. The city was severely damaged by the explosions, which were purportedly brought on by pressure cooker bombs.