In a significant court session on Monday, the innocence of individuals convicted in the 2006 Mumbai local train bombings was asserted by senior counsel in the Bombay High Court. The convicts, some of whom have been in prison for 18 years, have been described as wrongfully accused due to alleged investigatory biases.
Senior Advocate S Muralidhar, representing two of the convicts who received life sentences, highlighted a purported pattern of “communal bias” by investigating agencies in terror-related cases. These arguments were presented before Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak, who have been presiding over the appeals for the past five months with day-to-day hearings.
The case in question pertains to the series of seven blasts that occurred on Mumbai’s local trains on July 11, 2006, which resulted in over 180 deaths and numerous injuries. Following a trial that concluded in 2015, 12 individuals were convicted, with five receiving the death penalty and seven others sentenced to life imprisonment.
During the proceedings, Muralidhar criticized the State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for obtaining confessions through torture and pushed for the acquittal of the accused, citing the severe impact of long-term imprisonment on their lives. “For 18 years, these accused are in jail. They have not stepped out even for a day since then. The majority part of their prime life is gone,” he lamented.
Muralidhar also pointed out the pattern where public outcry often leads to presumptive guilt in investigations, leading to wrongful convictions that are later overturned due to lack of evidence. He argued this not only destroys lives but also fails to bring closure to the victims’ families.
The defence’s plea for acquittal stresses the failure of investigative agencies in handling terror-related cases and the subsequent wrongful incarceration of innocent people. The hearings are set to continue with Muralidhar’s arguments on Tuesday, followed by the commencement of arguments from Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare.
