Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that his government will challenge the Bombay High Court’s recent decision to acquit 12 men in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Fadnavis said the judgment was “shocking” and that he would examine the entire order closely before moving the Supreme Court.
“I have discussed the matter with the lawyers. The high court verdict will definitely be challenged in the Supreme Court,” Fadnavis said.
The 2006 Mumbai train bombings killed more than 180 people and injured hundreds. But after 19 years, the Bombay High Court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond doubt. The court said the evidence presented was not convincing and it was “hard to believe the accused committed the crime.”
In its detailed judgment, the special bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak said the prosecution had not even established what type of bombs were used in the blasts. The judges allowed the appeals filed by the 12 accused, overturning the convictions and sentences handed down by a special court in 2015.
Five of the men had been sentenced to death. The high court refused to confirm those death penalties and dismissed the state’s plea to uphold them.
