2006 Mumbai train bombings: India court acquits 12 men
On 11 July 2006, seven blasts ripped through the busy commuter trains during the evening rush hour in one of India's deadliest terror attacks.The bombs, packed into seven pressure cookers and put in bags, detonated within six minutes of each other.The blasts took place in the areas of Matunga, Khar, Mahim, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road, with most on moving trains and two at stations.The bombs appeared to have targeted first-class compartments, as commuters were returning home from the city's financial district.Indian security agencies blamed the attack on Islamic militants backed by Pakistan, an allegation the country denied.The accused, who were arrested shortly after the blasts, have been in jail since then. One of them, Kamal Ansari, who had been sentenced to death, died of Covid in 2021.In 2015, a special court convicted the men of murder, conspiracy and waging war against the country. The prosecution appealed to confirm the death sentences, while the defence sought acquittal.In July 2024, the Bombay High Court formed the two-judge bench to expedite the hearings. Reports say that over the next six months, the court conducted more than 75 sittings and examined 92 prosecution witnesses and over 50 defence witnesses.In the 667-page order on Monday, the court noted that the defence had questioned the credibility of the witnesses produced by the prosecution, as well as the confessional statements made by the accused. It also acknowledged the defence's contention that the recovered evidence was not maintained in a "sealed condition throughout".Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Oil prices fall as OPEC+ output hikes counter Russia disruption concerns
NEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday as rising OPEC+ supply and worries of weaker global demand countered concern about U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to India over its Russian oil purchases. Brent crude futures were down 58 cents, or 0.84%, to $68.18 a barrel at 12:17 p.m. EDT (1617 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 59 cents, or 0.89%, to $65.7. Both contracts fell by more than 1% on Monday to settle at their lowest levels in a week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, together known as OPEC+, agreed on Sunday to raise oil production by 547,000 barrels per day for September, a move that will end its most recent output cut earlier than planned. "The significant increase in OPEC supplies is weighing on the market," said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates. "The market now is going to see if India and China agree to substantially reduce the purchases of Russian crude oil, thereby looking for alternative supplies elsewhere." Trump on Tuesday again threatened higher tariffs on Indian goods over the country's Russian oil purchases over the next 24 hours. Trump also said declining energy prices could pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt the war in Ukraine. New Delhi called Trump's threat "unjustified" and vowed to protect its economic interests, deepening a trade rift between the two countries. Oil's move since Trump's threat indicates that traders are sceptical of a supply disruption happening, John Evans of oil broker PVM said in a report. He questioned whether Trump would risk higher oil prices. "I'd call it a stable market for oil," said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS. "Assume this likely continues until we figure out what the U.S. president announces in respect to Russia later this week and how those buyers would react." India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million bpd from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources. There are renewed concerns about global oil demand, with some analysts expecting faltering economic growth in the second half of this year.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Trump threatens 250pc tariffs on drug imports
The president was also critical of India after the country's foreign ministry accused the US and the EU of double standards on buying Russian oil. The US is due to impose 25pc tariffs on imports from India but Trump threatened to lift this further in his latest escalation. 'We settled on 25pc but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours because they are buying Russian oil, they are fuelling the war machine, and if they're going do that I'm not going to be happy,' he said, adding that India had 'not been a good trading partner'. 'The sticking point with India is that tariffs are too high ... They will give us zero tariffs and they're going to let us go in but that's not good enough because of what they are doing with oil.' Mr Trump also renewed his attacks on Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and repeated his calls for the central bank to cut interest rates. 'Jay Powell is highly political and I call him ... Too Late Jerome, Too Late Powell,' he said. Mr Trump added that Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, 'does not want' to be chairman of the Federal Reserve but said that there were four others in the running for the position. Mr Powell's term as chairman of the Federal Reserve ends in May 2026.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Indian army says no violation of ceasefire after reports of Pakistani firing
Aug 5 (Reuters) - The Indian army on Tuesday said there had been no violation of ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) that separates Indian-controlled and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, after some Indian media reported that Islamabad had violated the truce by opening fire. "There have been some media and social media reports regarding ceasefire violation in Poonch region. It is clarified that there has been NO ceasefire violation along the Line of Control," the army said. The Pakistani army did not respond to a request for comment outside regular hours.
