Following a reprimand from the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra government has appointed senior advocate Raja Thakare as the special public prosecutor for proceedings related to the confirmation of death sentences and appeals filed by the convicts in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case.
The court had expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s lack of seriousness in the matter. Thakare’s appointment as special prosecutor was confirmed to the bench, which stated that it would begin hearing the confirmation petitions from October 5 on a day-to-day basis. The court also rejected a request for a two-week delay, emphasizing that no adjournment would be allowed. The 2006 serial train blasts in Mumbai resulted in over 180 fatalities and numerous injuries. Between 2006 and 2008, the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police arrested 13 individuals associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in connection with the case. In September 2015, a trial court convicted 12 of them, sentencing five to death and seven to life imprisonment, while one was acquitted. The state government appealed to the high court to confirm the death sentences, as is required in such cases.
The convicts also filed appeals challenging their convictions and sentences. However, the high court’s proceedings were delayed as Thakare, who had served as the special prosecutor in the trial court, initially declined to continue in the appellate stage. The state government’s slow response to appointing a new prosecutor led the high court to express its dissatisfaction with the perceived lack of seriousness earlier in the week.