The Bombay High Court acquitted all the 12 convicts on 21 July 2025 in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, who killed 189 people and injured more than 800. A bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak said the prosecution “failed to prove the case beyond suspicion” and the evidence was not reliable. In 2015, the special MCOCA court sentenced five accused to death and seven others for life imprisonment. Kamal Ansari died in jail in 2021 in jail.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reacted sharply to the verdict, saying, “12 Muslim men remained in jail for 18 years, for a crime that he did not do. His golden life was ruined. 180 families did not get any justice for their loved ones.” He demanded action on Maharashtra ATS officials who investigated. Owaisi wrote on X, “They stayed in jail for 17 years, not even one day out. Will the government take action against the ATS?”
Rejecting the verdict, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said, “As a Mumbaikar, I cannot accept it. There is an appeal to the Maharashtra government to appoint the best lawyer and appeal against the High Court’s decision.” BJP leader Kirit Somaiya described it as “extremely disappointing” and blamed the deficiencies in investigation and legal presentation. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan wrote on X, “He was convicted on the basis of police confessions. He had to face torture and jail for 19 years! What compensation will he get?” Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that this decision creates serious concern and the state will appeal to the Supreme Court.
The High Court considered the statements of the witnesses to be incredible, as several witnesses identified the accused four years after the incident. The confession statements under MCOCA were considered after torture. The prosecution could not even prove what kind of explosives were used in the blasts. This decision is a shock to the investigating agencies and questions the credibility of evidence in terrorist cases.
