The Excessive Courtroom has delivered its verdict within the Mumbai practice blast case, acquitting all 12 convicted people. Former Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy spoke to India TV and shared his response to the Bombay Excessive Courtroom’s determination.
As politics continues to warmth up over the latest acquittal of all accused within the 2006 Mumbai native practice blasts case, India TV held an unique telephonic interview with former Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy, who had led the investigation on the time of the incident. Talking intimately, Roy expressed his views on the Bombay Excessive Courtroom’s ruling and strongly advocated for the decision to be challenged within the apex court docket.
Chatting with India TV, AN Roy mentioned he had personally supervised the investigation again then. “I take full accountability for your complete probe. We had performed an intensive {and professional} investigation and arrested solely 13 people — these towards whom we had stable proof. We had filed the chargesheet solely towards them.”
Roy added, “The trial lasted seven years. Throughout this time, the accused filed a number of petitions in each the Excessive Courtroom and the Supreme Courtroom, claiming they had been tortured and their statements had been coerced. Nevertheless, all these petitions had been dismissed by the courts on benefit. Allegations of torture had been completely examined and located to be false.”
Trial continued for seven years
AN Roy additional acknowledged that the trial spanned seven years, and the trial court docket delivered an in depth judgment operating over 1,900 pages. Each side’ arguments had been meticulously documented, he mentioned. Out of the 13 accused, one was acquitted, whereas 5 had been sentenced to dying and 7 obtained life imprisonment. “This was no abnormal verdict – this was a landmark judgment. The trial court docket dominated in our favour, however ten years later, the Excessive Courtroom has overturned that call. I firmly imagine our investigation was sturdy and we now have a stable case for attraction within the increased court docket.”
‘Claims of torture are baseless’
Roy identified that it’s a sample within the Indian authorized system that just about each accused, after giving a confessional assertion, retracts it as soon as the trial begins, alleging that it was made underneath torture. “That is nothing new. Even throughout the trial, this challenge was raised. On court docket orders, all accused had been medically examined. The court docket held detailed hearings on the torture allegations and in the end rejected them on benefit. All witnesses had been produced earlier than the trial court docket,” he added.
Each element recorded in 1,900-page judgment
The previous Mumbai Police Commissioner mentioned statements of all witnesses had been recorded throughout the trial. Each prosecution and defence legal professionals cross-examined each witness. In accordance with Roy, a battery of defence legal professionals remained current within the courtroom and didn’t relaxation till that they had questioned each witness completely. “The 1,900-page judgment meticulously paperwork who mentioned what and what emerged throughout the cross-examinations. The trial court docket discovered the witness statements credible throughout cross-examination,” he added.
Ultimate phrase awaited after full evaluation
Roy additionally mentioned hw is not going to remark additional till he absolutely reads the Excessive Courtroom judgment. “I can confidently say that we carried out an intensive investigation, collected all mandatory proof, and adopted each authorized protocol within the course of. The problems you’re elevating had been additionally raised throughout the trial. The defence challenged them, and detailed arguments happened in court docket. Now, each the trial court docket’s and the Excessive Courtroom’s judgments have to be examined in totality earlier than drawing conclusions,” he added.
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