Indian media: Indian courts ruled 12 suspects in the Mumbai “7·11” serial bombings case innocent based on insufficient evidence from the prosecution.

According to the “Hindustan Times,” the Bombay High Court ruled on July 21, citing insufficient evidence from the prosecution, that 12 suspects involved in the 2006 bombings of Mumbai were acquitted.
On the evening of July 11, 2006, a series of explosions occurred in first-class carriages of seven trains in the suburbs of Mumbai, causing 188 deaths and injuring hundreds. Following the explosions, police arrested 13 suspects. In 2015, a special court established under the Maharashtra Organized Crime Control Act sentenced five suspects to death by hanging and seven to life imprisonment, with one released on bail. Among these, the suspect sentenced to death died in prison due to COVID-19 infection in 2021. Following this verdict, both the state and the suspects appealed to the Bombay High Court. To address the request for expedited proceedings from some suspects, the Bombay High Court formed a special court in July 2024 to hear the case.
The “Indian Express” reported that the Bombay High Court stated that during the investigation, the prosecution failed to accurately identify the specific type of explosives used, and since there were instances of coercion, the confessions of the suspects were deemed invalid. Additionally, witnesses’ identifications of the suspects during the trial lacked sufficient credibility. The Bombay High Court emphasized that punishing true criminals is crucial for curbing crime activities, upholding legal integrity, and ensuring public safety. Manufacturing the illusion that problems have been resolved not only weakens judicial credibility but also conceals potential real dangers, even if such an illusion may temporarily soothe public sentiment. Notably, the deceased defendant was also declared innocent.
According to reports from New Delhi TV, Azharuddin Owesi, a member of the Indian Parliament, questioned whether the Indian government would take action against investigators who were found negligent in this incident. The “Indian Express” reported that the families of the 12 suspects felt relieved by the verdict, always believing their captured loved ones had nothing to do with the case from the beginning and now finally received a fair judgment. (Global Times, July 22 article by Bai Yuan)