Supreme Court Stays Acquittal of 12 in 2006 Mumbai Train Blasts Case, But No Return to Jail for Now

New Delhi: In a significant development in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, the Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Bombay High Court’s recent verdict acquitting 12 individuals who had earlier been convicted for their alleged involvement in the horrific terror attack. However, the apex court clarified that the accused will not be sent back to jail at this stage.

The Supreme Court’s stay applies specifically to the findings made by the High Court against the investigation agency, while leaving the liberty of the accused intact. This means the acquitted individuals, most of whom had already been released, will remain free until further proceedings.

The case returned to the spotlight just a day after Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud expressed reservations about staying acquittals, calling it a “rarest of rare” move. “What’s the hurry? Eight of them are already out. Stay on acquittal is the rarest of rare,” the CJI remarked on Wednesday, signalling caution over urgent intervention.

Despite the CJI’s remarks, the matter proceeded on Thursday following a strong push by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Mehta argued that the acquittals raised grave national security concerns and pressed for urgent judicial review.

A procedural snag briefly threatened to delay the hearing when a portion of the petition filed by the state was found to contain a segment of the High Court judgment in Hindi. The state’s counsel assured the court that the issue would be rectified, requesting that the matter not be deferred. “We might be able to convince the court that the case is the rarest of rare,” he stated.