7/11 Mumbai train blasts: Software engineer, call centre employee — Who are the 12 accused acquitted by Bombay HC?
Pronouncing the order, the bench said that the prosecution utterly failed to prove the case and it was "hard to believe the accused committed the crime".
The court allowed the appeals filed by the accused challenging their conviction and sentences imposed on them by a special court in 2015 regarding the Mumbai train blasts.
The special court had sentenced five out of the 12 accused to death, while the remaining seven were sentenced to life imprisonment. One of the accused on death row passed away in 2021.
The death row convicts in the 7/11 Mumbai train blast incident were Kamal Ansari (now dead), Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui, Naveed Hussain Khan and Asif Khan.
The court had imposed life imprisonment on Tanveer Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Ansari, Mohammed Majid Mohammed Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Muzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Suhail Mehmood Shaikh and Zameer Ahmed Rehman Shaikh.
1. Kamal Ansari: Ansari was accused of planting the bomb that exploded at Matunga, after having received arms training in Pakistan. A Bihar resident, he died in 2021 while awaiting hearing of the appeal at age 50.
2. Mohammad Faisal Rahman Shaikh: A resident of Thane's Mira Road area, he was accused of being one of the main conspirators of the Mumbai train blasts. As per prosecution, Shaikh, 50, got money from Pakistan, assembled the bombs and planted one of them on a train.
3. Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui: It was alleged that Siddiqui had conducted a recce of the trains ahead of the attack and planting a bomb in one of the trains.
4. Naveed Hussain Khan Rasheed: Rasheed, a former call centre employee, was arrested from Secunderabad on charges of assembling the bombs and planting one of them on a train that exploded in Bandra.
5. Asif Khan: Khan, 52, was accused of helping assemble the bombs and planting an explosive that went off in Borivali. The Jalgaon resident was also accused of being a key member of SIMI.
6. Tanveer Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Ansari: A resident of Mumbai's Agripada, Ansari was accused of visiting Pakistani terror camps and carrying out a recce of Mumbai local trains.
7. Mohammed Shafi: He was accused of procuring money from Pakistan for the blasts through a hawala racket.
8. Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam: This 55-year-old was sentenced to life on charges of assembling bombs at his Govandi residence alongwith help of Pakistanis who entered India. Alam was also accused of being a key SIMI member.
9. Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari: The 47-year-old, a resident of Mira Road, was accused of getting the timers for the bombs, helping to assemble them and harbouring two Pakistani nationals.
10. Muzammil Rahman Shaikh: Aged 20 during the time of the incident, Shaikh was the youngest accused in the case, who allegedly received training in Pakistan and conducted a recce of the local trains. He was a software engineer.
11. Suhail Mehmood Shaikh: The 55-year-old was arrested for taking arms training in Pakistan and conducting a recce of the trains.
12. Zameer Ahmed Rehman: Rehman, now 50, was accused of attending conspiracy meetings and taking training in Pakistan.
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