7/11 Blasts Acquittals: ATS To Decide Next Steps After Consulting Prosecutors, Analysing HC Verdict

After the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case—19 years after the terror attack—officials of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said they would decide the further course of action after consulting the special prosecutor and analysing the judgment.

“The Anti-Terrorism Squad, Maharashtra State, Mumbai Office is taking further decision after consulting with the Special Prosecutor of the case and analysing the judgment,” read a statement issued by the probe agency.

On July 11, 2006, RDX blasts at seven locations on Mumbai’s suburban rail network within a span of 11 minutes claimed 189 lives and injured 827 commuters.

Initially, seven different FIRs were registered at local police stations. Considering the gravity of the offence, the case was transferred to the State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) later that month. The ATS claimed that the accused were members of the banned outfit Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and had hatched the conspiracy with Pakistani members of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

On September 30, 2015, the special MCOCA court pronounced its judgment in the train blast case, awarding the death penalty to five accused and life imprisonment to the remaining seven. One accused was acquitted.

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The death reference and the appeals filed by the convicted accused were heard by the High Court. In the case, ASG Raja Thackare and Special Public Prosecutor AM Chimalkar appeared for the state government. Thackeray refused to comment on the verdict.

The present hearing began before the court in July 2024. The arguments of the prosecution and defence were concluded on January 27. On Monday, the High Court delivered its verdict, rejecting the death reference and allowing the appeals of the convicted accused. The judgment of the special MCOCA court was set aside.