A Bombay High Court has acquitted 12 men convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, a devastating attack that killed 187 people and injured over 800.

The court overturned the 2015 convictions, which included five death sentences and seven life sentences, ruling that the prosecution failed to adequately prove the accused’s guilt.

The July 11, 2006, attacks involved seven blasts on commuter trains during rush hour. Pressure cooker bombs detonated across multiple locations, targeting first-class carriages as commuters headed home from the financial district. Indian authorities blamed Islamist militants with alleged links to Pakistan, a claim Pakistan denied.

The Bombay High Court, in a 667-page judgment, cited concerns about the credibility of prosecution witnesses and the handling of evidence, noting it wasn’t consistently maintained in a sealed condition. The court also questioned the validity of confessional statements. The decision said that the prosecution had ‘utterly failed’ in proving the allegations.

The accused, arrested shortly after the bombings, had been imprisoned since their sentencing. Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui and Naveed Khan were sentenced to death. While Mohammed Sajid Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Dr Tanveer Ansari, Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh and Zamir Shaikh

One, Kamal Ansari, who received a death sentence, died of Covid-19 in 2021. The 2015 convictions stemmed from charges of murder, conspiracy, and waging war against the country. While the prosecution appealed the sentences, the defence sought acquittal.