"We respect verdict, but Maharashtra govt will challenge it in SC": BJP's Ram Kadam on 2006 Mumbai train blast verdict

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 22 (ANI): After the Bombay High Court acquitted 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said on Tuesday that the Maharashtra government will challenge the HC's verdict in the Supreme Court and will make every effort to ensure those found guilty are punished.
"We respect the verdict given by the judiciary on the bomb blast. The judiciary works on the basis of evidence, but the Maharashtra government will challenge those decisions in the Supreme Court. And there will be every effort made to ensure that those found guilty are punished," Kadam told ANI.
The Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted 12 accused of the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while addressing the issue, expressed shock and stated that the government would challenge the Bombay HC verdict in the Supreme Court.
"The verdict of the Bombay High Court is very shocking and we will challenge it in the Supreme Court", CM Fadnavis told reporters.
Earlier on Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi blamed the Maharashtra government for the acquittal of 12 accused people in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case.
"This is very sad, instead of giving them the death penalty, they have been acquitted. This shows that the case we presented was not foolproof, it had loopholes; I believe this is the fault of the state government. The state government did not take it seriously and present a serious argument, which is why this decision has come," Chaturvedi told ANI.
This important verdict came after 19 years. A special bench of the Bombay High Court ruled that the evidence relied on by the prosecution was not conclusive to convict the accused persons. The court then ordered the immediate release of all the accused.
On the evening of July 11, 2006, bomb blasts took place at seven different places in the Mumbai local trains within just 11 minutes. In this incident, 189 people died, while more than 827 passengers were injured.
The bombs were placed in first-class compartments of trains from Churchgate. They exploded near the stations of Matunga Road, Mahim Junction, Bandra, Khar, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar and Borivali. A trial court in 2015 convicted 12 people in the blasts' case. (ANI)