Even as the Maharashtra government in 2015 moved pleas seeking confirmation of death sentences awarded to five convicts in the 2006 train blasts case, it took over nine years to pass its verdict, acquitting all 12 men previously convicted in the case. A special court under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act (MCOCA) in September 2015 awarded death penalty to five of the convicts and life imprisonment to seven others, while acquitting one accused.A special Bombay High Court bench of Justices Anil S Kilor and Shyam C Chandak, which was formed in July 2025, concluded marathon regular hearings on January 31, and after examining submissions and volumes of material on record, passed the judgement on Monday.Senior advocate S Muralidhar, a former Delhi High Court judge, who had appeared for two of the convicts, argued that due to protracted legal wrangle, the “innocent” convicts who languished in jail for over 18 years without sufficient evidence “lost their prime years” in incarceration.Also Read | Who are the 12 men acquitted in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case?The case concerns explosions on seven western suburban coaches in Mumbai, killing 189 commuters and injuring 824 on July 11, 2006.Kamal Ahmed Mohd Vakil Ansari from Bihar, Mohammad Faisal Ataur Rahman Shaikh from Mumbai, Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddique from Thane, Naveed Hussain Khan from Secunderabad, and Asif Khan Bashir Khan from Jalgaon in Maharashtra were awarded the death penalty in the case by the special court in 2015. Kamal Ahmed Mohd Vakil Ansari died in prison in 2021.Tanveer Ansari, Mohammed Majid Mohammed Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Muzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh, Suhail Mehmood Shaikh, and Zameer Ahmed Latifur Rehman Shaikh were awarded life imprisonment.The matter first came up before the high court in January 2019. The high court order noted that an intimation was issued by the Nagpur jail superintendent to the convicts in October 2015, seeking their response if they intended to file an appeal against the special court verdict; however, the pendency of death confirmation pleas was mentioned. This led the high court to order fresh notices to be served on convicts, after which they filed appeals.Story continues below this adWhile the confirmation pleas earlier came up before three benches, including former judges Justices Naresh Patil, B P Dharmadhikari and S S Jadhav, the hearings could not happen since the judges were due to retire.Explained | Explained: The 2006 Mumbai train blasts, in which Bombay HC has acquitted all 12 accusedAmong other factors contributing to the delay, in January 2022, the prosecution submitted that the matter could not be heard by a bench consisting of Justice P K.Chavan as its member. In November 2022, Justice A S Gadkari, who headed the two-judge bench, recused himself from hearing the pleas.In the same year, a bench led by Justice R D Dhanuka, now retired, adjourned hearing the pleas as the bench assigned to the matter was “overburdened with work”. This was after the state government told the high court that hearing would take at least five to six months, considering evidence ran over 169 volumes, judgements of death sentences of nearly 2000 pages, and as there were over 100 witnesses.On September 6, 2023, a Justice Nitin W Sambre-led bench slammed the state government for “lack of seriousness” in conducting the matter, as the court was informed that the state was yet to appoint a special public prosecutor (SPP). It warned of summoning the additional chief secretary of the state home department if an SPP was not appointed within two days. Senior advocate Raja Thakare was then appointed as SPP on September 8, 2023.Story continues below this adThereafter, the Justice Sambre-led bench heard the pleas until December 2023. However, the matters were listed before another bench due to his transfer to the Nagpur bench of the high court. They were not taken up for another few months until one of the convicts sought early disposal of the matter through a special bench.Also in Explained | Why Bombay HC overturned special court verdict, acquitted all accused in 2006 train blasts caseIn July 2024, the high court administration constituted to hear pleas. The bench conducted regular hearings for six months through over 70 sittings and reserved its verdict on January 31, which it pronounced at 9.30 am Monday.After the pronouncement of the judgement, advocate Yug Mohit Chaudhry, representing all those previously convicted, told the bench, “It was indeed a credit to the institution that over 10 persons charged with the most serious offences can be held to be innocent and acquitted in the face of the strongest opposition by the state. It shows it’s a credit to the independence of the institution. But much more than restoring faith in the judiciary, the judgement restores faith in humanity. Much more than anything else, this judgement will always be a sign of hope in time.”“Mr Chaudhry, we did our duty as judges, that is the responsibility casted upon us,” Justice Kilor, for the bench, responded.