The convicted accused in the July 11, 2006, serial train blasts have claimed before the Bombay High Court that they are innocent and have been languishing in jail for 18 years.
Senior counsel S Muralidhar, appearing for two of the convicts who have been sentenced to life in prison, alleged communal bias and investigative lapses in such terror-related cases.
“There is a bias in the investigation. Innocent people are sent to jail, and years later, they are released for want of evidence. By then, there is no possibility of reconstructing their lives,” argued Muralidhar.
He claimed that the accused were tortured by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which probed the case, to extract confessional statements. “Eighteen years in jail, without stepping out even for a day. Their prime lives are gone,” he said, urging the court to rectify the situation by acquitting the accused and overturning their convictions.
Muralidhar alleged a pattern of failure in terror investigations, adding that agencies often assume guilt in response to public outcry. “First, we lose lives to such incidents, then innocents are arrested. After years of incarceration, the accused are acquitted, leaving no one with closure. Investigating agencies have failed us miserably,” he contended.
The senior counsel further submitted that the blasts case reflects this trend. “In cases like this, there is always a communal bias and pattern. This needs to stop,” he asserted.
The special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak has been hearing the appeals in the case for the past five months. These include appeals filed by the convicts against their convictions and sentences, as well as the state government’s plea for confirmation of the death penalty awarded to five accused by the trial court in 2015.
The case had remained pending since 2015, with hearings delayed by 11 different benches. In 2024, Etheshaam Siddiqui, one of the convicts facing the death penalty, filed an application in the High Court seeking early hearing and disposal of the appeals.
The trial court had convicted 12 persons in 2015. Five were sentenced to death, while seven were given life imprisonment. The state’s appeal for confirmation of the death penalties is mandatory under the law.
The blasts on July 11, 2006, occurred across seven locations on Mumbai’s Western line local trains, killing over 180 people and injuring many others.
Muralidhar will continue his arguments on Tuesday.
