The Bombay High Court has commenced day-to-day hearings on the appeals related to the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, 18 years after the terror attack devastated the city’s Western Railway network, resulting in the loss of over 180 lives and leaving several others injured.
A special bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak will hear appeals from the convicts challenging their sentences and from the state government seeking confirmation of the death penalty for five of the 12 convicts. The remaining convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The bench stated that it would hear the matter on a day-to-day basis in the morning session and directed that the convicts be produced before it via video conferencing from their respective jails, rather than physically.
In September 2015, a trial court found 12 people guilty of participating in the bombings. Following legal protocol, the state government appealed to the High Court to confirm the death penalties.
The convicts lodged appeals contesting their sentences, and prior to this, the pleas had been presented before 11 different benches since 2015, but no substantial progress was made. Finally, last week, the High Court established a dedicated bench to expedite the hearing process.
Special public prosecutor Raja Thakare began his arguments on Monday with a brief overview of the events on the day of the blasts. He described the intensity of the explosions, noting that the sides of the local trains were ripped apart.
“Limbs and body parts were scattered, and blood was everywhere at the sites where these incidents took place. Bags and luggage of passengers were also scattered around. Out of panic, people jumped and lost their lives. It is difficult to imagine how this was handled at that time,” he said.
Advocate Payoshi Roy, representing some of the convicts, asserted that the accused were innocent and had been implicated in the case.
