17 years after Mumbai train blasts still no prosecutor to hear appeals in HC

Mumbai: 17 yrs after train blasts, govt yet to appoint SPP for appeals/confirmation cases; HC summons Chief Secy to answer.

Even seventeen years after the train blasts in Mumbai, the Maharashtra government has not appointed a special public prosecutor (SPP) to hear the appeals and confirmation cases .

In 2015, the Maharashtra government moved the high court seeking confirmation of death sentence against four convicts. These convicts have also moved the high court in appeal challenging their convictions.

On Wednesday, a division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and Rajesh Patil was informed that the State Government was yet to appoint a SPP to appear in the hearing and therefore sought an adjournment.

The court however remarked, “Is this the way you are treating these appeals? There is no seriousness in the government’s attitude to this issue. We will summon the Chief Secretary of the Home Department to answer us tomorrow morning.”

The court went on to say, “We do not want mid-level officers. We want someone from the government. If there is a failure on the aforesaid issue on the appointment of SPP or entrustment of the case to an APP by the day after tomorrow, we will call upon the principal secretary of the State Home and Justice Department.”

The bench directed the State to sort out the issue of appointing an SPP by September 8.

The bench said, “This Court is inclined to commence final hearings from Oct 5 on a day-to-day basis. Either it will be the first half or second half of the day, but we will hear it on a day-to-day basis.”