The Supreme Court will hear on July 24, a petition filed by the State of Maharashtra, challenging the Bombay High Court verdict that acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai bomb blasts case of 2006.
The matter was today mentioned by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta before the Bench presided by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai. The SG sought urgent hearing on the grounds of seriousness of the case.
When CJI Gavai quoted media reports to say that eight accused have already been released from prison following the High Court verdict, the SG said that some important issues needed the consideration of the Apex Court.
On July 21, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, which claimed 189 lives and left more than 800 injured.
The Special Bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak set aside the October 2015 order of a special court, which sentenced five accused to death and seven to life imprisonment.
The High Court passed the judgment on the grounds that the prosecution utterly failed in establishing the case beyond reasonable doubts.
The Special Bench found the statements of nearly all prosecution witnesses unreliable. There was no reason for the taxi drivers or people in the train to remember the accused after almost 100 days of the blast.
It said since the prosecution failed to identify the type of bomb used for the blasts, the recovery of the evidence such as bombs, guns and maps was immaterial and not important to the case.
The High Court has been hearing the case since July 2024.