The Bombay High Court has taken a significant step of overturning a previous verdict of a special Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Court, that had sentenced five individuals to death and another seven to life imprisonment for their alleged role in the cataclysmic 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case.

The blast involved coordinated bombing of seven local trains, killing 189 people and injuring over 8oo, marking a dark chapter in the city’s history.

Dismissing the death penalty handed down to five individuals and life imprisonment to seven others, the Special Bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak, highlighted significant shortcomings in the prosecution’s case, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Among those convicted were Kamal Ansari, who later died during the COVID-19 pandemic while in prison. Another accused, Wahid Shaikh, was acquitted earlier by the trial court after spending nine years in jail.

A detailed judgment is awaited.

Source : News