The Supreme Court on Thursday partially stayed the Bombay High Court verdict of July 21, 2025, which acquitted all 12 accused in the 7/11 Mumbai bomb blasts case of 2006.
The Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh stayed the High Court judgment to the limited extent that on the question of law, it would not be treated as a precedent in other cases, including those under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The Apex Court, however, refused to stay the release of the 11 accused acquitted by the High Court.
While issuing notice to the accused, the Bench said it would hear the parties and take a decision accordingly.
The top court of the country passed the order on a petition filed by the State of Maharashtra against the High Court verdict.
On July 21, the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, which claimed 189 lives and left more than 800 injured.
The Special Bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak set aside the October 2015 order of a special court, which sentenced five accused to death and seven to life imprisonment.
The High Court passed the judgment on the grounds that the prosecution utterly failed in establishing the case beyond reasonable doubts.
The Special Bench found the statements of nearly all prosecution witnesses unreliable. There was no reason for the taxi drivers or people in the train to remember the accused after almost 100 days of the blast.
It said since the prosecution failed to identify the type of bomb used for the blasts, the recovery of the evidence such as bombs, guns and maps was immaterial and not important to the case.
The High Court has been hearing the case since July 2024.
Out of the 11 accused, nine have already been released from prison. Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh and Naveed Hussain have not been released since there were other pending cases against them.
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