Mumbai 7/11 train blast case: Maharashtra govt, ATS contemplate challenging the acquittal in SC

Mumbai: Rattled by the acquittal of the 12 accused by the Bombay High Court in the Mumbai 7/11 train bombing case, the Maharashtra government and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is contemplating challenging the order in the Supreme Court. 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister and Law and Judiciary Minister, was briefed about the order. 

State Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule said, “The Maharashtra government will assess the merits of the case before deciding to challenge the Bombay High Court decision to acquit all the accused. Before that, we will discuss aspects like the merits of the judgement and reasons for the acquittal”.

State Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who is a former Home Minister, pointed out that the state government will study the verdict first, and then approach the Supreme Court if it feels the need to do so.

Meanwhile, ATS officials said that the verdict of the Bombay High Court is being studied and analysed: “Advice of experts and lawyers are being sought and further legal recourse would be taken after that.”  

On-parole accused claims fabrication by ATS

Hours after the order of acquittal came from the Bombay High Court, Mohammed Sajid Ansari, one of those who got relief, said that the case of the Anti-Terrorism Squad was fabricated and they were confident that they would come out clean.

“We were innocent…we were confident from day one that we will be acquitted…False evidence and tutored witnesses were planted,” he said, adding that the confessional statement were extracted by torture. 

Ansari, who is currently on parole, called the decision a "big relief" for him and all the other convicts, sharing they have been suffering for close to 19 years and trying to prove innocence. 

Ansari was sentenced to life imprisonment for providing material and logistical support for making bombs that ripped the city. “I was arrested as I had an electronics background. I used to run a mobile phone repair shop,” he said, adding that the police were not even aware whether it was a timer or trigger device. 

Survivor's striking remarks

One of the survivors, Chirag Chauhan, said that the law of the land has failed to deliver justice and “justice got killed”. He expressed that if Narendra Modi was the Prime Minister at that point of time, things would have been different.

“I have forgiven the terrorists long back and moved on with my life. However, the law of the land failed today to deliver justice to 200-plus people who were killed and many who are permanently disabled," said Chauhan, a chartered accountant, auditor and IT/GST consultant based in Mumbai.

Believing in PM Modi and his bold decisions concerning Pahalgam horror, the 7/11 train blast survivor, said, "I wish we had Narendra Modi as our PM at the time... we could have got justice like in the recent terror attack. Bharat went inside Pakistan and gave a befitting reply to terrorists and all perpetrators."

"Today is a very sad day for everyone! Justice got killed! No one got punished for the irreparable damage and pain suffered by thousands of families,” he commented on the verdict.

On the 19th anniversary of the incident, he posted about his achievements and had said, “19 years ago, on 11 June 2006, 7/11 Mumbai train blasts changed my life. I survived paralysis and became wheelchair-bound. Yet, I never gave up.”