Owaisi criticizes Centre, Maharashtra over 2006 blasts appeal

New Delhi

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the Centre and Maharashtra government on Thursday for appealing to the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court’s decision to acquit all 12 convicts in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. The Supreme Court had stayed the High Court’s judgment but ruled that the accused, who were in jail for 18 years, would not be re-arrested.

Owaisi questioned why the governments were filing the appeal when the accused were not only legally innocent but completely innocent. He also asked if the Centre would file similar appeals in other cases, like the Malegaon blast, and why they had not appealed in the Mecca Masjid blast case. He said if appeals are based on the accused’s religion, then the fight against terrorism loses credibility.

The Bombay High Court acquitted the 12 accused on July 21, overturning the 2015 trial court’s conviction, which included death sentences and life imprisonment. The High Court found that the prosecution had failed to prove the case.

Owaisi highlighted the suffering of the acquitted men, who lost 18 years of their prime lives in jail, and questioned whether the government would take action against the Maharashtra ATS officers who investigated the case. He emphasized that innocent people should not spend years behind bars without any chance to rebuild their lives.