Monday's verdict by a division bench of the Bombay high court on the 2006 serial blasts has understandably shocked the metropolis. The man of the street cannot believe how the 12 people convicted and sentenced to death and life imprisonment have been declared innocent by the HC. It is tempting to call it a "Black Monday" and blame the high court for delivering a verdict upturning the judgement of the special court. But one should firmly resist that temptation. Courts go strictly by the evidence on record uninfluenced by any other consideration.
In this case, the court has said the prosecution has "utterly failed" to produce evidence which could stand legal scrutiny. Strong words these. Normally courts desist from using strong words unless there are compelling reasons to do so. In this case, apparently the prosecution has miserably failed to do its job. This is a very poor reflection not only on the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) but also the state home department which oversaw the legal proceedings. The government will obviously appeal against Monday's verdict. But at least in the appellate stage it should ensure that it is able to present a solid case against the accused persons.
Having said this, I would like to ask why the judiciary collectively took 19 long years to deliver its much-awaited verdict. This is nothing but a mockery of the dictum that "justice delayed is justice denied." The people have a right to know why it took so long for the judgement to be delivered. Considering the grim gravity of the crime, which resulted in the death of 189 innocent persons and injuries to over 800 others, one would have expected the judiciary to display a sense of urgency and fast track the cumbersome process. But it did no such thing, which is rather unfortunate.
The one big question which remains unanswered is who killed the 189 persons and injured hundreds of others? The high court itself has indicated that others were involved in the serial blasts which were executed with precision. Obviously they were executed by well trained men. The question is who are these others? Will the ATS be now able to track down the real culprits? That is the question that Mumbai nay the nation is asking.
