2006 Mumbai train blasts: Supreme Court stays Bombay HC order; clarifies released accused won't return to jail

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Bombay High Court 's order acquitting all the accused who were convicted of planning and executing the July 11, 2006 serial bomb blasts on Mumbai’s suburban rail network.

The top court passed the interim stay order after solicitor general Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the verdict could impact trials in other cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The court also clarified that the high court’s verdict would not be treated as a precedent in deciding other cases.

This comes days after he high court bench of justices Anil Kilor and SC Chandak on refused to confirm the death sentences awarded to five men in the 2006 July 11 Mumbai train blasts case and acquitted all 12 accused.

The high court, in its 671-page judgment, said the prosecution had failed to establish the type of explosives used, and found the confessional statements inadmissible due to allegations of torture. The court also raised doubts over witness credibility and procedural lapses in the identification process.

The acquitted individuals had been held under the stringent MCOCA law and had spent nearly two decades in jail. The HC ruling has sparked widespread reactions, with political and legal circles divided over the implications for the justice system and the conduct of the investigation.

(This is a developing story)