Overview
- Notices were issued to the National Investigation Agency and the seven individuals acquitted in the 2008 case, with the appeal listed for hearing after six weeks.
- The appeal by relatives of six people killed challenges the July 31 special court verdict that cleared all accused for lack of reliable and cogent evidence.
- Before issuing notices, the High Court cautioned it was not an open gate for appeals and pressed the appellants to show they were trial witnesses; only two of the six had testified, leading to a brief adjournment on Wednesday over incomplete details.
- Neither the NIA nor the Maharashtra ATS has filed its own challenge to the acquittals to date, even as victims' families pursue appellate review.
- The blast on September 29, 2008 killed six and injured about 101; the probe began with the Maharashtra ATS, moved to the NIA in 2011, and the long trial ended in acquittals that cited investigative and evidentiary lapses.