New Delhi:- The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Bombay High Court’s recent verdict that acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bomb blasts case, following an appeal filed by the Maharashtra government.
A bench comprising Justice M M Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh issued notices to the 12 respondents but clarified that there was no question of re-arresting them, as all had already been released after the High Court’s ruling.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Maharashtra government, urged the court to stay the judgment, highlighting that the Bombay HC’s observations could adversely impact pending trials under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). He emphasized that he was not seeking the re-incarceration of the acquitted individuals.
Taking note of Mehta’s submission, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s judgment, stating, “The impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent.”
The Bombay High Court, on July 21, overturned the 2015 verdict of the special MCOCA court that had awarded the death penalty to five accused and life imprisonment to seven others, citing serious lapses in evidence collection, delayed identification parades, and weak witness testimonies.
The 2006 Mumbai train blasts killed 189 people and injured over 820 when seven bombs exploded in local trains during the evening rush hour. The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had led the investigation into the case.
The Supreme Court’s decision now places the High Court’s acquittal under legal scrutiny, pending further hearings.
