The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a crucial petition on July 24 that challenges the acquittals in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. The appeal, filed by the Maharashtra government, contests the Bombay High Court’s decision to acquit five individuals who were previously convicted by a special anti-terror court.
The 2006 serial bombings — one of the deadliest terror attacks in Mumbai’s history — targeted local trains during peak evening hours on July 11, killing 189 people and injuring over 800. The blasts, which occurred in a span of 11 minutes across seven different Western Railway trains, were carried out using pressure cooker bombs.
In October 2015, a special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) had convicted 12 accused and sentenced five to death and seven to life imprisonment. However, in 2023, the Bombay High Court overturned the convictions of five of the accused, citing lack of sufficient evidence, procedural lapses, and concerns over custodial confessions.
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The state government, expressing strong disagreement with the acquittals, approached the apex court earlier this year. In its petition, Maharashtra contends that the High Court’s reasoning undermines the painstaking investigation carried out by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and threatens to set a troubling precedent for future terror-related trials.
Families of the victims have also voiced disappointment over the acquittals, hoping that the Supreme Court will reinstate accountability and justice.
The July 24 hearing will be closely watched, not just by legal observers and families of the victims, but also by counter-terrorism experts and civil rights groups, as it is expected to test the balance between individual rights and national security in one of India’s most pivotal terror cases.