Mumbai/ Nagpur: A special trial court in Mumbai announced judgment in 7/11, 2006 Mumbai Churchgate station serial train blasts on Friday, Sept 11, holding as many as 12 accused guilty of the offences committed by them. One of the accused (accused No. 8), named, Abdul Wahid Din Mohammad Sheikh has been acquitted by the court, said media reports, adding that the quantum of charges shall be announced on Monday.
Those who have been convicted are named Kamal Ahmed Mohammed Vakil Ansari, Ehtesham Kutubuddin Sidduqui, Dr Tanveer Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Ansari, , Naveed Hussain Khan Rasheed Hussain Khan, Mohammed Faisal Ataur Rahman Sheikh, Mohammed Majid Mohammed Shafi, Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Sohail Mehmood Shaikh, Mohammed Sajid Margub Ansari, Asif Khan, Muzammil Ataur Rahman Shaikh and Zameer Ahmed Latuir Rehman Shaikh.
The serial bomb blasts had torn across seven Western suburban coaches in which 189 commuters were killed and 824 injured on July 11, 2006. With the verdict announced on September 11, 2015, Special Judge Y D Shinde, who has been conducting the trial in the MCOCA court at the City Civil and Sessions Court, decided the fate of the 13 arrested accused booked under various stringent charges, including conspiracy and waging war against nation. The court informed the lawyers, public prosecutor and the jail authorities about the verdict date Thursday afternoon, with all the accused asked to remain present.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested the accused between July 20, 2006 and October 3, 2006, but the arrest ran into controversy in November the same year when the accused gave a written submission to court that their confessions were coerced. The charge-sheet contains 30 accused, with 13 identified as Pakistani nationals, and 17 as Indians. Four of the 17 Indians are yet to be arrested.
