Historic Verdict in 7/11 Mumbai Local Train Bomb Blast Case

Another Major Success for Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind: Bombay High Court Acquits 12 Muslim Youths of Terrorism Charges After 19 Years

The innocent have finally received justice, but justice remains incomplete until those who ruined their lives are held accountable: Maulana Arshad Madani

New Delhi: 21 July 2025 //Press Release /: A two-member bench of the Bombay High Court delivered a historic verdict today in the 7/11 Mumbai local train bomb blast case. 

After a long wait of 19 years, justice was finally served to the Muslim youths who had been falsely implicated in the case.

The court declared the death sentences given by the Special MCOCA Court to five accused Ehtesham Qutbuddin Siddiqui, Kamal Ansari, Faisal Ata-ur-Rehman Sheikh, Asif Bashir, and Naveed Hussain as illegal.

Alongside this, the High Court also overturned the life imprisonment sentences handed down by the MCOCA Court to seven other accused Mohammad Ali Sheikh, Suhail Sheikh, Zamir Latif-ur-Rahman, Dr. Tanveer, Muzammil Ata-ur-Rahman Sheikh, Majid Shafi, and Sajid Marghoob Ansari.

In its verdict, Bombay High Court declared the lower court’s decision unlawful and reversed it in favor of the accused. The special two-member bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Shyam Chandak announced the judgment today at 9:30 AM.

The court completely rejected the confessional statements obtained from the accused, declaring them illegal. Similarly, the court refused to accept the testimony of the government witnesses.

President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani, described Bombay High Court’s verdict as a triumph of justice.

He stated that today is a momentous day for the families of those who have been proven innocent, as they had to wait nineteen long years for this outcome.

We cannot even imagine the horrific emotional torment they must have endured during these 19 years filled with hope and despair.

Maulana Madani further emphasized that this is another historic success of Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra’s Legal Cell, whose relentless legal battle resulted in the honorable acquittal of 12 individuals, including 5 who had been sentenced to death and 7 to life imprisonment.

He expressed heartfelt gratitude to the team of lawyers, saying: “Our lawyers worked day and night, presenting such well-reasoned and compelling arguments in court that the entire web of prosecution’s lies was exposed.”

Maulana Madani stated that this verdict once again confirms what we have been saying for years that the arrest of Muslim youths under false charges of terrorism and the destruction of their lives is part of a larger agenda.

He said that by doing this, not only are innocent individuals thrown behind bars, but an entire community is also defamed and humiliated through such actions.

Maulana Madani reiterated the long-standing demand: “There must be accountability for investigating agencies and the police.”

He warned that until this accountability is established, innocent lives will continue to be destroyed—not only under the guise of anti-terror laws but also through misuse of other legal provisions.

He stated clearly that, given the current political climate in the country, Muslims have become an easy target for the police and investigative agencies.

Commenting on the Mumbai local train bomb blast case, renowned jurist, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s lawyer, and former Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, Justice Muralidhar, observed that the investigation in this case was deliberately biased. He further noted that in cases where public sentiment is inflamed, anyone can be declared guilty through a media trial.

Press conferences are held first; evidence is searched for later. Justice Muralidhar’s remarks reveal the entire inner story of the country’s legal system.

Maulana Madani also said that the lack of any kind of accountability gives law enforcement agencies complete freedom to criminalize anyone they want, without any accountability or questioning.

He said that this unchecked freedom has made these agencies reckless, and the worst example of this is the present case—where it took 19 long years to achieve justice.

Even though the innocent have now been honorably acquitted, there has been no accountability for those who destroyed twelve lives. He added that the victims will not even receive any compensation for what they have suffered.

Maulana Madani said that while we wholeheartedly welcome this verdict, in our view, justice remains incomplete until accountability is established and those who destroyed innocent lives are punished.

He added that until this happens, this unfortunate cycle will not end. Innocent lives will continue to be ruined under the pretext of the law, and the country’s media will keep running a propaganda campaign against a particular community, defaming it.

Maulana Madani concluded by saying that those who have ruined the lives of innocent Muslims must finally be exposed and unmasked. He said that this situation is extremely distressing for the Muslim minority in the country, but we remain hopeful that even if not today, tomorrow things will change. The time has come for the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of this issue.

He also expressed strong outrage over the behavior of so-called national media, saying that often, the biased electronic media creates a storm at the time of Muslims’ arrests and starts a trial against them.

But when these same people are honorably acquitted in court, the media suddenly becomes silent. This partial attitude is a betrayal of the journalism profession.

Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra Legal Cell had engaged the services of eminent criminal lawyers of the country in the defense of the accused, including Senior Advocate S. Nagamathu (Retired Justice of Madras High Court), Senior Advocate Muralidhar (Retired Chief Justice of Orissa High Court), Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan (Supreme Court of India), Advocate Yog Mohit Chaudhary and others.

To assist the senior lawyers, responsibilities were assigned to Advocate Abdul Wahab Khan, Advocate Sharif, Advocate Ansar Tamboli, Advocate Gaurav Bhavani, Advocate Aditya Mehta, Advocate Shahid Nadeem, Advocate Afzal Nawaz, Advocate Bilal and others.
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Fazlur Rahman Qasmi
Press Release
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, New Delhi
09891961134