SC Stays HC Order on Acquittal of 12 Involved In 2006 Mumbai Train Blasts Case

Breaking News: The Supreme Court of India has put a stay on the Bombay High Court’s order that acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, noting the Maharashtra government’s concern that the ruling could adversely affect several pending trials under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Earlier on Monday, The Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all 12 men convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, nearly two decades after the serial blasts killed 189 people and injured over 800 on the city’s suburban railway network. Among those acquitted, five were on death row. 

However, the top court clarified that it was not staying the release of the 12 accused, who have already walked free following their acquittal earlier this week.

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh issued notices to all 12 men and sought their replies on the state’s appeal.

“We are inclined to hold that the impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent. Therefore, there will be a stay of the impugned judgment,” the court said in a brief order.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Maharashtra government, urged the court to stay the effect of the high court verdict, not to oppose the release of the acquitted men, but because the judgment contained observations that could impact other MCOCA trials currently underway.

“I am conscious of the matter of liberty. I am not seeking a stay on their release. But we want the judgment to be stayed because there are certain findings by the high court which may affect other pending MCOCA trials. Thus, the impugned judgment needs to be stayed,” Mehta submitted.

Accepting the state’s contention, the bench ruled that the high court judgment will not carry precedential value until further orders.

The development follows the Maharashtra government’s swift appeal against the July 21 Bombay High Court judgment, which overturned the 2015 convictions of 12 men by a special MCOCA court. Five of them had been sentenced to death, and the rest to life imprisonment.

The high court had held that the prosecution had “utterly failed to establish the offence beyond reasonable doubt,” describing the investigation as marred by procedural lapses, unreliable evidence, and grave violations of the accused’s constitutional rights.

The 2006 Mumbai train blasts, one of India’s deadliest terror attacks, saw seven bombs explode in first-class compartments during peak hours on the Western Railway line, leaving a lasting scar on the city.