On Monday, nearly 19 years after the deadly 2006 Mumbai train blasts, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused, stating the prosecution failed to prove its case and expressing serious doubts over the credibility of the evidence
19 years after the blasts, the Bombay High Court acquitted 12 people. Representational File Pic
Following is the chronology of events in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, in which the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 accused.
July 11, 2006: Seven bomb blasts in first-class compartments of seven local trains on the western suburban railway line between 6.23 pm and 6.29 pm. 187 persons killed and 824 injured.
July 11, 2006: Seven separate FIRs lodged in different police stations. Later clubbed and investigated by the Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS).
July-August 2006: Thirteen people were arrested in the case by the ATS for their involvement in the case.
November 30, 2006: Chargesheet filed against 30 accused, including 13 Pakistani nationals, several of whom are wanted.
2007: Trial begins.
August 19, 2014: Trial ends. Special court reserves its order against 13 arrested accused.
September 11, 2015: Special court convicts 12 out of the 13 accused. One accused was acquitted due to a lack of evidence against him.
September 30, 2015: Special court imposes the death penalty on five of the convicted accused. A life sentence was imposed on the remaining seven.
October 2015: Maharashtra government files appeal in Bombay High Court seeking confirmation of death penalty imposed on five. All 12 accused persons filed appeals in the HC challenging their convictions and sentences.
2015-2024: Appeals placed before different benches of the HC.
June 2024: Ehtesham Siddiqui, one of the convicts on death row, files an application in the HC seeking intervention for expeditious hearing and disposal of the appeals.
July 2024: HC sets up a special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak to hear the case.
July 15, 2024: Special bench of HC starts hearing appeals on a day-to-day basis.
January 31, 2025: HC completes hearing appeals. Closes matter for orders.
July 21, 2025: 19 years after blasts, Bombay HC acquits 12 persons, noting prosecution has utterly failed to prove the case and that it is hard to believe the accused committed the crime. This important verdict came after 19 years. A special bench of the Bombay High Court ruled that the evidence relied on by the prosecution was not conclusive to convict the accused persons. The court then ordered the immediate release of all the accused.
(With PTI inputs)
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