The Mumbai Blasts Acquittal: A Systemic Failure of the Criminal Justice System
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Criminal Justice System, Right to Information - RTI, Article 20, Fundamental Rights), Internal Security (Terrorist groups - Indian Mujahideen (IM), Students Islamic Movement of India - SIMI).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary; Government policies and interventions. (This is a core topic on criminal justice reforms).
GS Paper 3: Security challenges and their management; Police Reforms.
GS Paper 4 (Ethics): Ethical concerns in government institutions; Accountability and ethical governance.
Key Highlights from the News
The Bombay High Court acquitted all accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case after 19 years of imprisonment.
The court's verdict cited serious flaws in the investigation, highlighting unreliable witnesses, coerced confessions, flawed identification parades, and failures in handling forensic evidence.
The article argues that this incident highlights the complete failure of India's criminal justice system.
Political pressure to quickly identify culprits in high-profile cases often leads investigative agencies astray.
A significant aspect of this case is that the accused effectively used the Right to Information (RTI) Act to prove their innocence.
In 2008, the Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibility for the blasts. However, the ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) pinned the case on SIMI.
The article concludes that merely changing criminal laws is not enough; comprehensive reforms are needed in all components of the criminal justice system, including the police, judiciary, prosecution, and prisons.
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