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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
19 years on, HC acquits all 12 men in 7/11 train blasts case
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all the 12 accused--including 5 men on death row—who had been convicted by a special MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) court for planning and orchestrating the July 11, 2006 serial blasts on Mumbai suburban rail network. These men, now acquitted, have spent 19 years in prison. One of them died while awaiting his appeal. Sajid Ansari, one of the men acquitted, is currently out on parole. He is seen here in his Mira Road home, against the mountain of documents that helped him fight his case. (photo by Raju Shinde) (Raju Shinde) The serial train blasts were one of the deadliest terror attacks in India. They killed 188 people and left 829 injured. These seven blasts, spread over six minutes of evening rush hour, were so powerful that they ripped through the double layered thick steel roofs and sides of each of the seven compartments. But the investigations into this deadly attack, led by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), was so hurried and shoddy that a division bench of justices Anil S. Kilor and Shyam C. Chandak observed on Monday: 'Creating a false appearance of having solved a case by presenting that the accused have been brought to justice gives a misleading sense of resolution. This deceptive closure undermines public trust and falsely reassures society, while in reality, the true threat remains at large.' While acquitting all the 13 accused they added that the prosecution had, 'utterly failed to establish the offence beyond the reasonable doubt against the accused on each count,' and that it was unsafe to base the convictions on evidence adduced by the prosecution. A total of 13 men were arrested by the Maharashtra ATS headed by IPS officer KP Raghuvanshi within four months of the blasts. The agency claimed that the blasts were the handiwork of some former members of the proscribed Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) with support from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan. The agency further claimed that LeT commander Azam Cheema had trained some of the arrested accused to handle arms and explosives and had also provided RDX for the attack. But a closer scrutiny of the case by the High Court revealed a trail of cut-paste confessions, unreliable witness narratives, material evidence handled without care and vital call data records hastily destroyed--a case study in shoddy investigation. Briefly, this is what the ATS claimed: Twelve Pakistani bomb-making experts illegally entered India with RDX-- six from Indo-Bangla border, four from the Rajasthan border and two from India-Nepal border—and come to Mumbai to assemble the bombs at the Chembur house of one of the accused, Mohammed Faisal Shaikh. However, this claim of the Pakistani infiltrators was based on the confessional statement of the accused and no antecedents of the infiltrators were established. A dossier by Maharashtra government on the Pakistanis was never made public and neither was it given to the accused when they sought access to it under the Right To Information. In its chargesheet against the 13 Indians it arrested, the ATS relied on the confessional statements of 11 of the accused. It later turned out that most of the confessions were a cut-copy-paste job. On 2015, the special MCOCA trial court acquitted one man, a school teacher Abdul Wahid Shaikh, one of the two men who had refused to confess, and convicted the remaining 12. Five of them were awarded the death penalty. The convicted men challenged their conviction and sentence. The Bombay High Court heard these appeals together with reference for confirmation of the death sentence handed down to the five convicts. Justice S Nagamuthu, retired judge of the Madras High Court, former Delhi High Court Justice Dr S. Murlidhar, senior advocates Nitya Ramakrishnan and Yug Mohit Chaudhry argued their cases, successfully pointing out the loopholes in the prosecution's case. The prosecution case was based mainly on eyewitness accounts, recoveries made by the ATS at the behest of the arrested accused, and confessional statements of the 11 accused which were recorded between October 4 and 25, 2006. The police had relied on accounts of two taxi drivers who claimed to have ferried two of the accused to Churchgate railway stations on July 11, 2006, and some passengers who claimed to have seen some of these accused while they were planting the bombs on the trains. The High Court on Monday refused to accept their evidence because their police statements were recorded 100 days after the blasts, and they identified the accused they claimed to have seen four years after the blasts. The division bench held the witnesses had no reason and occasion to remember faces of the accused persons amid a crowd after such a long gap. The court drew adverse inference from the fact that the ATS did not examine some other witnesses whose police statements were recorded immediately after the blasts and also rejected the evidence of the test identification parade, holding that the special executive officer who conducted the TIP, lacked the authority to do so. The bench also refused to accept the evidence of recovery of RDX, granules, detonators, cooker, printed circuit boards, soldering gun, books, maps, etc. from the accused persons after noticing that the articles were not properly sealed after their seizure until they were sent for examination to the forensic science laboratories, and therefore, the corroborative evidence could not be taken into consideration. As regards the confessional statements, the bench noted that portions of the statements were cut-copy-paste and the documents did not seem to be prepared by the concerned authorities, raising doubts over the compliance of procedural safeguards and norms to be followed. The court also refused to accept the genuineness of the confessions, holding that the accused had succeeded in proving that they were tortured in ATS custody for giving confessions and the fact that they had retracted the confessions before the trial court. The court also refused to rely on the confessional statements recorded under provisions of the MCOCA due to serious doubts over applicability of certain condition required under the Act. Additionally, the court questioned the investigators for not giving the accused an opportunity to consult their lawyers on record before their confessions were recorded. 'When their confessions were recorded, all the accused were represented by lawyers on record, but at the crucial stage of recording confession, the accused were not made aware of their right to consult their lawyers, thus violating their fundamental rights,' the court observed. CDR, a vital piece of evidence destroyed In order to prove the charge of conspiracy, the prosecution had relied on the Call Detail Records (CDR) of all the accused to point out that they were in touch with the LeT operatives based in Pakistan, but later the prosecution changed its stand and chose not to rely on the CDRs. However, when the accused persons tried to use the same CDRs to prove their innocence, the police claimed that they had destroyed the material collected since they were not relying on them any longer. The judges said that the CDRs of the accused could have proved the connection of the accused with the LeT and the planning of the blasts. 'The prosecution stated that the CDRs were destroyed which raises serious doubts over the integrity of the investigation conducted by the agency, and amounts to a grave violation of the right to a fair trial,' the bench stated. The ATS said they would consult the special public prosecutor Raja Thakre on the future course of action after studying Monday's judgment.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Woman pillion rider dies as bike rams into dumper
MUMBAI: A 40-year-old pillion rider died on Wednesday after the bike rammed into a dumper ahead after its driver allegedly applied sudden brakes. The incident occurred on Wednesday in Sewri when she was returning home from office with her colleague, who was riding the bike, said a police officer. The dumper driver applied sudden brakes. (Raju Shinde/ HT Photo) 'When the dumper driver applied sudden brakes, the motorcyclist lost control and rammed into the dumper,' said a police officer from Sewri police station. According to the police, the Mumbai police control room received a call from a passerby at 5:30 pm, alerting them about the accident on the Bombay Port Trust road on Eastern Freeway, after which the Sewri police went to the spot and rushed the woman, Rasika Ghate, to the Somaiya hospital in Sion where she was declared dead. Her colleague sustained minor injuries, the officer said. The police booked the dumper driver Faiz Mohanned under section 106 (causing death by negligence) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, issued a notice to him and allowed him to go, the officer said.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SNGP director flags challenges in removing encroachments
MUMBAI: The director of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in his recent affidavit to the Bombay High Court, said 10 places -- in Uttan, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ambernath, Shahpur, and Murban -- were inspected on June 6 by concerned authorities, including the forest department and housing board officials, to relocate illegal encroachers at Sanjay Gandhi National Park and were found to be unsuitable. Mumbai, India. June 05, 2025: Top view of Sanjay Gandhi National Parl and Borivali area of Mumbai Suburban. Mumbai, India. June 05, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times) This is in response to the court's January orders in a contempt petition filed in 2023 by the Conservation Action Trust and its executive trustee, Debi Goenka, in the Bombay High Court, alleging non-compliance to its 2003 judgment directing removal of encroachments, rehabilitation of eligible encroachers, and construction of a boundary around the park. The affidavit states that the inspected sites either lacked electricity, water supply, sewage and drainage facilities or fell under no development zones (NDZ) and Green Zones. Additionally, in May 2025, they were to identify eligible families for rehabilitation. However, due to non-cooperation by encroachers over unwarranted apprehensions, this could not take place. The survey period was then extended till the end of July 2025. Another affidavit submitted on March 5, set a May 31 deadline to demolish commercial-use encroachment on the forest land. These were located among residential-use encroachment areas in tightly-packed hutment colonies, making it difficult to access for demolition. The July 11 affidavit states that these demolitions were initially planned for May 5 and 6. However, they were postponed because of the non-availability of police bandobast and then due to opposition from 2,000 to 2,500 people led by local political leaders. On May 26, a former corporator of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) allegedly gathered a hostile crowd and obstructed the demolition squad. 'There was a very real possibility of violence breaking out against the Forest Department officials and staff along with the police personnel; the demolition program was abandoned,' the affidavit said. The affidavit also highlighted that the state issued 18 Government Resolutions and granted an administrative sanction of ₹221 crore for constructing boundary walls around the SGNP Division. Out of this, the forest department received ₹74.28 crore in the FY 2024-2025 and paid it over to the Public Works Department on March 31. On July 10, the executive engineer from PWD sent a letter to the SGNP administration stating that tenders for 17 works of boundary-wall construction. The technical and financial bids received for another 10 tenders were under scrutiny.
Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
After Mumbra accident, we have put whistle boards to alert motormen, says CR
MUMBAI: Nearly six weeks after five commuters lost their lives falling from overcrowded local trains between Mumbra and Diva stations on June 9, the Central Railway (CR) has finally announced a slew of corrective measures to prevent further fatalities on Mumbai's suburban rail network. Thane, India. June 10, 2025: Local trains cross near section at Mumbra Railway Station, where four commuters lost their lives and nine others were injured on June 9, 2025, in Thane, India. The incident occurred when the commuters fell from a train heading to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Thane India. June 10, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times) The railway authorities outlined their action plan in an affidavit submitted to the Bombay High Court on Monday, detailing physical upgrades, enforcement strategies, and commuter management interventions to tackle the city's chronic rail safety crisis. Among the key measures: removal of hazardous platform-end ramps, demolition of 1,267 encroachments over the past three years, and plugging 73 known trespass-prone spots. Whistle boards have been installed at track curves to alert motormen, and escalators as well as restored boundary walls now block access to tracks at Diva station—a hotspot where five to six deaths from track crossing were once routine every month. Since these upgrades in August 2023, officials claim zero such deaths at Diva. The affidavit, filed by senior divisional commercial manager Pravindra Wanjari, highlights a broader drop in fatalities. In 2018, 1,022 deaths were recorded from track crossings; this has reduced to 293 so far in 2025. Falling-from-train deaths have also declined from 482 in 2018 to 150 till May this year. Yet, the recent spate of fatal incidents has exposed persisting gaps, forcing the railways to revisit longstanding safety challenges. At Kalyan station, platforms 4 and 5 have been widened after removing old station buildings. Dadar and Thane platforms too have been expanded to manage crowds. Technical interventions include replacing older trains with Siemens rakes, which provide better grip on grab poles and handles, and reducing track speeds between Sion-Kurla and Mulund-Thane stretches to counter sharp curves that increase fall risks. Authorities have also written to nearly 800 offices to adopt staggered work hours to ease peak-hour congestion. Looking ahead, CR has committed to installing 139 more escalators and 62 lifts by December 2027, adding to the 176 escalators and 43 foot overbridges already set up across suburban stations. Enforcement and awareness too form part of the strategy. From punitive action against trespassers to safety drives in schools, RPF deployment at black spots, and continuous public announcements, officials said multiple layers of intervention are being used to push towards a 'zero death mission'. The moves come in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by daily commuter Yatin Jadhav, highlighting the daily hazards faced by the city's 75 lakh-plus local train passengers. A high-level monitoring committee and an additional multidisciplinary panel have been constituted to monitor progress and recommend further interventions.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Protests in Govandi against BMC's move to private hospitals, demand for better facilities
Mumbai: Over 150 people held a protest from Mankhurd to Govandi on Monday against the privatisation of Lallubhai Compound Multispeciality and Shatabdi hospitals, and also demanded to improve the services, functionality and the diagnostic facilities of the hospitals. The protestors marched from Mankhurd to Govandi demanding to halt privatisation. (Raju Shinde) This comes after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to partially privatise six hospitals in Mumbai under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and issued tenders to the hospitals. About 150 to 200 people including progressive youth groups, doctors, political activists and resident associations staged a large-scale protest under the umbrella of the 'Save Hospital, Stop Privatisation' action committee alongside the residents of M-East ward (including Govandi, Deonar, Mankhurd, Shivaji Nagar, Cheetah Camp and a part of Chembur) starting at Lallubhai compound in Mankhurd, moving up to the ward office in Govandi. With nearly 80% of the population living in slums, the underprivileged residents of the ward depend on Lallubhai Compound Multispeciality and Shatabdi hospitals in Govandi for their treatment. 'The majority of the citizens of the M-East division live in slums, and do not even have regular nutritious food supply. In this context, effective government public health services become a matter of life and death,' said Baban Thake, Mumbai coordinator of Revolutionary workers party of India, a part of the committee. The committee demanded that the corporation scrap the tenders. They also demanded to increase the functionality of ICUs and NICUs in maternity homes within 30 days, start the services of Maharashtra Nagar Maternity Home immediately and also set up free diagnostic centres within the next one month. The committee also suggested that the corporation to organise monthly meetings to address public grievances. Many residents who participated in the protest were affected personally by the lack of healthcare in the region. Kavitha Modliyar, a resident of Mankhurd, said, 'The laboratories are not functional, there are no beds or staff members, none of the hospitals have medications. With further privatisation, the costs will only increase. How are we supposed to pay for this? The poor will only die going forward.' 'Shockingly, life expectancy here is just 39 years here, owing to the maternal deaths, malnourishment, Tuberculosis cases, respiratory illnesses such as asthma induced by the Deonar dumping ground,' said Thake. The group shouted slogans such as 'Stop Privatisation of Hospitals! Hospitals are for public need! Not for corporate greed!' walking towards the ward office with passersby joining in. After reaching the ward office, the protestors waited outside the office for two hours, demanding to speak to the additional municipal commissioner of health vehemently and put forward their demands. The BMC on March 5, released a tender to privatise Lallubhai hospital's operations. On June 13, a similar tender was issued to Shatabdi hospital, including a plan to introduce a 100-seat private medical college in the hospital. According to the tenders issued in March, Shatabdi hospital and medical college, currently with 581 beds, will be run by a private entity with 70% beds reserved for patients paying for their treatment and only 30% for patients referred by the corporation at 'concessional rates'. For Lallubhai Compound Multispeciality Hospital, the 410-bed hospital is proposed to be handed over to a private institution on a PPP basis, with only 150 beds reserved for the patients of the Municipal Corporation, while the remaining 260 beds will be reserved for the economically weaker sections based on possession of an orange or yellow ration card. Dr. Abhay Shukla, health expert and National co convenor, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, whose Mumbai wing Jan Arogya Abhiyan was present at the scene, said that at present, there are 20 hospitals already under the PPP model in the corporation limits and added, 'These need to be reviewed immediately before deciding to introduce more such models. The hospitals under PPP have doctors on contractual basis with no accountability, nor are they trained to handle the ICU cases. The quality of care is significantly compromised in such hospitals. This is a serious problem that we are challenging. Corporation hospitals can at least be held accountable.' Additional municipal commissioner Dr Vipin Sharma did not respond to the messages or calls by Hindustan Times.
