The Mumbai High Court has acquitted all 12 persons sentenced in the Mumbai train blasts case in which 189 were killed in 2006. Over 800 people were injured in the blasts, which were coordinated to occur over 11 minutes in the busy metropolis during rush hour. The trial court had earlier convicted all 12. The High Court said the prosecution had "utterly failed" to prove its case against the accused.
A Timeline Of Events
July 11, 2006
On July 11, 2006 In Mumbai seven bombs exploded in first-class compartments of local trains on the Western Railway line during the evening rush hour. The blasts occurred between 6:20 p.m. and 6:31 p.m, targeting trains near Mahim, Bandra, Matunga, Khar, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road stations. The blasts killed 189 people and injured over 800.
July 21, 2006
On July 21, 2006, police arrested three suspects it said were linked to the attacks. By November 30, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police filed a chargesheet against 13 arrested individuals, while naming 15 others as absconding. All were charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
June 21, 2007
On June 21, 2007, the accused challenged the constitutional validity of MCOCA in the Supreme Court, leading to a stay on the trial in February 2008.
September 23, 2008
On September 23, 2008, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested five operatives of the banned outfit named Indian Mujahideen, which claimed responsibility for the bombings. This contradicted earlier claims of the Anti-Terro Squad that Pakistani nationals were involved in the attack.
February 13, 2010
The case took another turn on February 13, 2010, when Shahid Azmi, a defense lawyer representing some of the accused, was shot dead in his Mumbai office.
April 23, 2010
Despite controversy and confusion over who the real perpetrators were, the Supreme Court lifted the stay on the trial on April 23, 2010, allowing the examination of witnesses to resume.
June 2010
In June 2010, in an unusual development, media coverage of the trial was restricted and journalists were barred from the courtroom. There had been plenty of sensational coverage of this blast, the alleged attackers (at the time) and its aftermath in terms of the police investigation and courtroom developments.
August 30, 2013
In another significant development, Yasin Bhatkal, co-founder of the Indian Mujahideen, was arrested on August 30, 2013, at the Indo-Nepal border. During interrogation by police, he is said to have claimed that the 2006 train blasts were carried out by his outfit in retaliation for the 2002 Gujarat riots. This, too, reignited questions about the original accused identified and arrested by the ATS.
August 20, 2014
The trial concluded on August 20, 2014, with the court reserving its judgment.
September 11, 2015
The MCOCA court convicted 12 out of the accused, acquitting one.
September 30, 2015
Five of the convicted were sentenced to death for planting the bombs, while the remaining seven received life imprisonment for aiding the conspiracy.
July 2025
As of 2025, the death sentences were not carried out. In January 2025, the Bombay High Court began hearing the appeals of the convicted men, who were imprisoned since 2006.
