The Maharashtra government announced on Friday that it had appointed senior advocate Raja Thakare as special public prosecutor for the proceedings related to the confirmation of death sentences and appeals filed by the convicts in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case after receiving criticism from the Bombay High Court.
A division bench of Justices N W Sambre and Rajesh Patil had on Wednesday pulled up the government for its lack of seriousness on the issue. On Friday, the bench was informed that Thakare has been appointed as special prosecutor to represent the government. The court said it would begin hearing the confirmation petitions from October 5 on a day-to-day basis.
You are getting four weeks. This matter is listed time and again before the court and considering its gravity we deem it appropriate to fix the matter for hearing on a day-to-day basis. We direct convicts to commence argument. No adjournment on whatsoever ground will be allowed, the court said.
On July 11, 2006, during the evening rush hour in Mumbai, seven synchronised explosions blasted through local trains, killing more than 180 people and wounding numerous others. Thirteen members of the terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen were detained in the case between 2006 and 2008 by the Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
The state government filed an appeal in the high court seeking confirmation of the death penalty. A death sentence awarded by the trial court has to be confirmed by the high court. The convicts too filed appeals challenging their conviction and sentences.