SC stays Bombay HC's acquittal of 2006 Mumbai blasts accused
What's the story
The Supreme Court has stayed the judgment of the Bombay High Court that acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bomb blasts case. The decision was taken after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Maharashtra, sought a stay on the high court's judgment. The bench of Justices MM Sundresh and NK Singh did not order the accused to return to prison but stayed the judgment to the extent that it should not be treated as a precedent.
Acquittal details
Bombay HC quashed special MCOCA court verdict
"However, taking note of the submission made by the SG on the question of law, we are inclined to hold that the impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent. To that extent, there is a stay of the impugned judgment," the SC bench said. The Bombay High Court had last week quashed the special Maharashtra Control of Organized Crimes Act (MCOCA) court's verdict, which sentenced five accused to death and seven others to life imprisonment.
Tragic incident
The 7/11 Mumbai blasts case
The court found that the prosecution failed to prove the guilt of these individuals, who were convicted for their role in planting bombs on Mumbai's Western Railway local line on July 11, 2006. The 7/11 Mumbai blasts, which ripped through the city's local train network, killed 189 people and injured nearly 820. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had probed the case. The high court had also noted that the accused were tortured by ATS officers under pressure to find culprits.
Accused details
Five convicts sentenced to death, 7 others to life imprisonment
The five convicts who were sentenced to death are Kamal Ansari, Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan, and Asif Khan. The seven others who were sentenced to life imprisonment are 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 Latiur Rehman Shaikh.