On 30th September 2022, the Bombay High Court refused the bail application of Munib Memon, one of the accused in the 2012 Pune bomb blast case. The court observed that the evidence in the case demonstrated that there were reasons to believe the charge against the appellant was at least prima facie valid.
A bench of Justice Revati Mohite and Justice Sharmila Deshmukh heard the case. While rejecting the bail application, the bench also ordered expediting the trial. Notably, on 1st August 2012, five low-intensity serial bomb blasts took place at the Jungli Maharaj Road in Pune. This area is in the heart of the city and is known as one of the most crowded places in the city. A few people survived injuries in these blasts though there were no deaths.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted the inquiry, and the prosecution claimed that the explosion was intended to take revenge for the death of terrorist Quatil Siddique. On June 8, 2012, Siddique died while being imprisoned.
Two other accused in this case, Sayed Arif Amil alias Kashif Biyabani and Aslam Shabbir Sheikh alias Bunty Jagirdar, were released on bail in 2015 and 2016. Attorney Mubin Solkar representing Munib Memon argued the bail request on merits on parity. He also raised the issue of trial delay, citing the accused’s pre-trial imprisonment of about 9 years and 9 months. Moreover, Memon reiterated his innocence in the case, claiming that he was working in a tailor shop and had no link to the charged crime.
The Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) was also applied in this case, and the bench reviewed the confessional confessions of the co-accused that were recorded under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). According to the court, the confessional remarks confirmed that Memon had participated in the conspiracy meetings and was informed of the crime’s execution. The bench instructed the special court to accelerate the trial and wrap it up by December 2023.
