Nearly two decades after a series of coordinated bomb blasts on Mumbai's suburban train network killed over 180 persons, the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 accused, saying that it "was hard to believe the accused committed the crime".
The judgment turned out to be a major embarrassment for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which probed the tragic 2006 incident.
The probing agency claimed that the accused were members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) outfit and had conspired with Pakistani members of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
ALSO READ | Why Bombay HC acquitted all 12 in 2006 Mumbai train blast case that killed 187
A special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak said the prosecution failed to bring on record even the type of bombs used in the crime. “Punishing the actual perpetrator of a crime is a concrete and essential step toward curbing criminal activities, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring the safety and security of citizens,” HC said in its 671-page judgment.
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Of the 12 accused, the special court had placed five on death row and the remaining seven on life imprisonment. Kamal Ansari (now dead), Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan and Asif Khan were death row convicts.
{{/usCountry}}Of the 12 accused, the special court had placed five on death row and the remaining seven on life imprisonment. Kamal Ansari (now dead), Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan and Asif Khan were death row convicts.
{{/usCountry}}While Tanveer Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Ansari, Mohammed Majid Mohammed Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Muzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Suhail Mehmood Shaikh and Zameer Ahmed Rehman Shaikh were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Quashing the 12 persons' conviction, the HC said the witness statements and alleged recoveries made from the accused have no evidentiary value.
Who are these 12 acquitted persons?
- Kamal Ahmed Ansari: Ansari, a resident of Bihar's Madhubani district, was accused of receiving arms training in Pakistan and of planting the bomb that exploded at Matunga. Pending hearing of the appeal, Ansari died at the age of 50 in 2021.
- Mohammed Faisal Rahman Shaikh: Belonging to Thane's Mira Road area, the 50-year-old Shaikh was accused of being one of the main conspirators of the 2006 tragedy. According to the prosecution, Shaikh had obtained money from Pakistan, assembled bombs and planted one of them in a train.
- Ehtesham Siddique: The 42-year-old was accused of carrying out a recce of the trains ahead of the attack and planting the bomb that blasted at the Mira-Bhayandar train network.
- Naveed Hussain Khan Rasheed: A call centre employee at the time of the incident, 44-year-old Rasheed is accused of assembling bombs and planting the explosive that went off in a train at Bandra. He was arrested in Secunderabad.
- Asif Khan Bashir Khan: The Jalgaon resident was accused of helping assemble the bombs and planting the bomb that exploded at Borivali. The 52-year-old was also accused of being a key member of SIMI.
ALSO READ | 7 explosions, 187 dead, 800 injured, 0 accused: The horror of 2006 Mumbai train blasts - Tanveer Ahmed Ansari: The 50-year-old resident of Mumbai's Agripada was convicted for attending terror camps in Pakistan and conducting a recce of the suburban trains.
- Mohammed Shafi: The 46-year-old was accused of running a hawala racket and procuring money from Pakistan for the blasts.
- Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam: The 55-year-old was accused of being a member of SIMI and of assembling bombs at his house in suburban Govandi area with the help of Pakistanis who crossed into India.
- Mohammed Sajid Ansari: The resident of Mira Road was accused of getting timers for the bombs and helping assemble them. The 47-year-old was accused of harbouring two Pakistani nationals.
- Muzammil Rahman Shaikh: Now aged 40, Shaikh was the youngest accused in the case. He was a software engineer accused of receiving training in Pakistan and conducting a recce of the local trains. Shaik's brothers, Faisal and Raahil, are also accused in the case. But they were never caught. They were allegedly the main planners of the conspiracy.
- Suhail Mehmood Shaikh: The 55-year-old was accused of having taken arms training in Pakistan and carrying out a recce of the trains to be targeted.
- Zameer Rehman Shaikh: The 50-year-old was accused of attending conspiracy meetings and getting training in Pakistan.
(with PTI inputs)