Abdul Wahid Shaikh - who was the only person among 13 accused to be acquitted by the special court in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case - has demanded the formation of a new Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by a High Court judge, to revisit the case in light of the Bombay High Court’s recent acquittal of all 12 convicted individuals on July 21, 2025.

The High Court overturned the 2015 trial court verdict, which had sentenced five to death and seven to life imprisonment, stating the prosecution had “utterly failed to prove the case”, with confessions deemed coerced and witness testimonies unreliable. These 12 men were released after nearly 19 years in custody.

In his book Begunah Qaidi (Innocent Prisoner) and recent appeals, Shaikh accused the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of fabricating evidence, forcing narco-analysis confessions, and manipulating witnesses to frame the accused. The mysterious death of ACP Vinod Bhat - involved in the original investigation and allegedly coerced into falsifying evidence - adds another layer to Shaikh’s call for a judicial probe.

Shaikh argues that only a judicial oversight under an HC judge-led SIT can uncover procedural violations and deliver full justice, both for the wrongly convicted and victims’ families. With the state now appealing the High Court order in the Supreme Court, the spotlight turns to the need for renewed transparency in anti-terror judicial processes.