Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya addresses media after the court's decision on the Mumbai train blasts case. (Pic/ASHISH RAJE)
The survivors who accompanied the BJP leader included Hansraj Kanojia, who had his right leg amputated and was fitted with a prosthetic; Mahendra Pitale, who lost an arm; Chirag Chavan, a chartered accountant suffered disabities owing to the incident, and Ramesh Naike, the father of Nandini Naike, who tragically died in the blasts
Nearly two decades after the devastating 2006 Mumbai train blasts that claimed over 180 lives, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 individuals accused in the case. The court overturned their 2015 convictions and sentences, stating that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to prove its case and found it "hard to believe the accused committed the crime"
The High Court's verdict is a significant setback for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had investigated the case. The ATS had asserted that the accused were members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and had collaborated with Pakistani members of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to plan the conspiracy
Later, while speaking to the media, Somaiya said Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has assured that the government would get expert legal help and quickly appeal in the Supreme Court
He also urged Fadnavis to form a dedicated team of investigators and legal experts to address the deficiencies identified in the previous probe into the train bombings
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