Nineteen years after the horrific Mumbai train bombings that killed 187 and scarred hundreds more, the High Court’s sweeping acquittal of all 12 convicted men has delivered a harsh verdict—not just on the botched prosecution, but on our entire justice system’s inability to deliver closure.
For a city that survived one of the bloodiest days in its history, this decision is not just a legal development; it is a slap in the face to the memory of the victims and the many more who still carry the physical and psychological wounds of that dreadful July evening.
A Judgement, and a Damning Indictment
The Bombay High Court did not mince words. In overturning the Special MCOCA court’s verdict—which had condemned five men to death and seven to life imprisonment—Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak called it “a deceptive closure.” Their exhaustive order catalogued a grim parade of procedural lapses: forensic evidence manhandled, forced and falsified confessions, copy-pasted statements, and a long shadow of reasonable doubt.
It is, in effect, a scathing indictment—not just of the lower court’s haste, but also of the prosecution’s and police’s inability, or unwillingness, to meet even the basic standards of criminal investigation and fair trial. How is the public to have faith in the system if such catastrophic failures are only called out two decades later?
Nineteen Years of Limbo
Beyond the damning details of the investigation, the unconscionable length of the legal process must itself come under the scanner. Nine years to reach a trial court verdict, another decade for appeals—how many lifetimes must justice take in India? And with the state now keen to drag the matter into the Supreme Court, who can say how many more years will pass before any finality is achieved?
Meanwhile, the lives of those accused—and acquitted—have been irreparably destroyed. Years spent incarcerated, often under torture, is an injustice of another kind, one that no verdict can now erase.
A Tale of Two Investigations, and Endless Doubts
Perhaps most damning is the confusion and chaos within the Mumbai Police’s own investigation. The Crime Branch tracked one set of suspects linked to Indian Mujahideen; the Anti-Terror Squad pursued another faction—eventually leading to charges against men from SIMI and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. It paints a picture not of a force united in the pursuit of justice, but one fractured by internal rivalries, confusion, or worse.
These failures call into question not only the competence of those involved but also the integrity of the system itself. Was this failure the result of mere incompetence, or was it a matter of factions within the police working at cross purposes? In either case, in a case so high-profile, with so much at stake, it constitutes criminal negligence.
Who Will Be Held to Account?
As the dust settles—once again—over the site of this national tragedy, the question must return: who pays the price for this abysmal failure? It cannot be enough for former police chiefs and investigators to melt away into comfortable retirements, shielded from scrutiny.
The absence of real accountability allows for more such travesties, where not only is true justice denied to the victims and their families, but the real masterminds of terror walk free. Public safety, faith in law, and a functioning democracy—all stand diminished.
The Need for Reckoning
India owes more to Mumbai, and to the idea of justice itself. There must be a public reckoning—not just in the form of appeals and counter-appeals, but in demanding answers of those in charge, from police commissioners to prosecutors.
The true closure that Mumbai deserves will only come when those tasked with protecting the city and its citizens are held to account. Until then, the survivors and the memory of the ones lost remain trapped in an endless wait for truth and justice.
Author: This news is edited by: Abhishek Verma, (Editor, CANON TIMES)
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