2006 Mumbai Blasts Verdict: A Critique of India's Criminal Justice System
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Judiciary, Fundamental Rights - Article 21, Anti-terror laws like Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act - MCOCA), Internal Security.
Mains:
GS Paper 2: Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary; Governance issues related to accountability and transparency.
GS Paper 3: Security challenges and their management; Police Reforms.
GS Paper 4 (Ethics): Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government institutions; Probity in Governance; Accountability.
Key Highlights from the News
All accused in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case were acquitted by the Bombay High Court. This decision overturned the trial court's 2015 verdict.
The court severely criticized the investigation by the Mumbai Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
The court found that confessions were coerced from the accused, witness testimonies were not credible, and evidence was destroyed.
The court also stated that the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was illegally invoked, as the necessary prior sanction was not obtained before applying the law.
The court observed that creating a false impression that a case is solved while the real culprits escape undermines public trust.
11 people, who had spent nearly 19 years in jail, were released with this verdict.
The Supreme Court stayed this verdict but clarified that it would not affect the release of the accused.
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