Mumbai blast acquittals: AIMPLB leader questions Mumbai Cong chief remarks, asks party to clarify stand

Indian Express

3 days ago

Former Rajya Sabha MP and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) vice-president Maulana Obaidullah Khan Azmi has written a strongly worded letter to senior Congress leaders, accusing the party of failing Muslims with regard to the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case and demanded action against Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad for seeking a Supreme Court appeal in the case.
The letter, addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, terms the 2006 case 'a profound miscarriage of justice' and Gaikwad's response to the acquittals as 'heartless' and 'reminiscent of RSS-like ideologies'.
'All Mumbaikars feel deeply betrayed today. The acquittal of all accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts is extremely unfortunate and disheartening. I appeal to the state to put all its legal might and challenge this case in the Supreme Court. Justice must be delivered to those who lost their near and dear ones in this cowardly act of terror,' Gaikwad had said after the Bombay High Court verdict.
Azmi, a three-term Rajya Sabha MP and a key voice during the Shah Bano case debates of the 1980s, said 'the colossal failure of justice' took place under the Congress government in Maharashtra and at the Centre. He criticised the police for allegedly arresting the wrong people and filing a '44,500-page chargesheet' that collapsed in court nearly two decades later.
'These innocent men have been let off by the court after 19 years. The court rejected the police report. The real culprits have never been caught. And the Congress, which advocates for welfare of Muslims, is making such a statement. Varshaji wants the men released by the court to be rearrested. She should have instead been meeting them, putting balm on their wounds. Her statement is a slap on the face of the Congress. She is president of the Mumbai Congress. The party cannot say this is her personal view. It must clarify,' Azmi told The Indian Express.
Gaikwad told The Indian Express she respected the law as 'a follower of B R Ambedkar'. 'I have made my stand clear and said that those who are innocent should be given compensation for their ordeal. But at the same time, I attacked the government for failing to bring the guilty to justice. As an ordinary Mumbaikar, my heart also goes out to the hundreds who died or got injured. It is closure and justice for them that I demand. The real culprits must be caught and action must be taken against those who botched up the investigation,' she said.
The Bombay High Court, earlier this month, acquitted all 12 accused in the case, slamming the prosecution for lapses in the probe, and citing lack of credible evidence. The 671-page judgment noted procedural irregularities and allegations of torture to extract confessions.
The 2006 Mumbai train bombings had killed over 180 people and injured more than 800. The case was one of the most complex terror investigations in India, with multiple agencies involved.
'The case devastated families, leaving children fatherless and lives in ruins, and remains a stain on Congress's legacy,' Azmi wrote.
Azmi alleged that Gaikwad's stance — especially given her political career's 'dependence on unwavering Muslim support'— has caused 'deep hurt' in the community and eroded trust in the party's secular credentials. 'Her rhetoric, disturbingly akin to BJP's tactics…signals a departure from the Congress's commitment to fairness and inclusion,' he said.
He urged the Congress leadership to publicly condemn Gaikwad's remarks and to clarify that her statements do not represent the party's position. He also sought compensation for the men who were acquitted after spending 19 years facing trial and imprisonment.
'Failure to act will further erode the party's credibility among Muslims and weaken its moral foundation,' Azmi warned.
A firebrand speaker and a former student leader, Azmi was one of the most prominent Muslim voices in the Rajya Sabha during the Shah Bano controversy, when he vocally opposed the Supreme Court's judgment and rallied support for Muslim Personal Law.