2006 Mumbai Train Blasts: Bombay High Court Acquits All 12 Convicts After Nearly Two Decades

Mumbai | July 21, 2025:

The Bombay High Court has acquitted all 12 individuals previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, nearly 19 years after the tragedy. The court cited the prosecution’s inability to conclusively prove the accused’s involvement, granting them the benefit of the doubt.

The serial bombings on July 11, 2006, killed 189 people and left over 800 injured when coordinated explosions struck Mumbai’s local trains during the evening rush hour.

A bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak quashed the earlier convictions, stating that the evidence presented was insufficient and witness statements were unreliable due to the significant time gap since the incident. The court also pointed out that the explosives and weapons recovered during the probe appeared to have no direct connection to the blasts, and investigators were unable to identify the specific type of bombs used.

In 2015, a special MCOCA court had sentenced five of the accused to death and seven others to life imprisonment. With the High Court’s ruling, all 12 individuals are now set to be released, provided they are not implicated in other cases.This verdict brings a significant twist to one of India’s deadliest terror attacks, reigniting debates around the investigative process and judicial scrutiny in high-profile cases.