Bombay High Court Slams Anti-Terrorism Squad for Torture and Evidence Tampering

In a major development, the Bombay High Court has delivered a damning verdict against the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), exposing allegations of torture and evidence tampering in terrorism investigations. The court's judgment in the 11/7 train blasts case discarded the evidence used to imprison 12 men for almost two decades, citing serious doubts about the integrity of the ATS's investigation methods.

The High Court expressed grave concerns about the ATS's tactics, including the use of brutal methods to extract confessions from the accused. The court detailed horrific accounts of torture, such as forcing individuals to split their legs 180 degrees, tying people to chairs all night, denying them food for long periods, and subjecting them to severe beatings. The judges concluded that these practices "will not leave visible scars on the body, no matter how much this may bruise the mind or injure the psyche."

These findings echo similar allegations made in the Malegaon blast case, where the judge found merit in claims that the ATS had tortured witnesses and planted evidence. While some of the accused, including Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, had their torture claims dismissed, the court did find the allegations of one accused, Sameer Kulkarni, to be credible.

The Bombay High Court's scathing observations on the ATS's investigative methods have raised serious doubts about the integrity of terrorism investigations in India. The judgments serve as a stark reminder of the need for genuine justice and the importance of upholding the rule of law, even in the face of national security concerns.