MCOCA Court Grants Bail to 2011 Dadar Serial Blast Accused Zainul Shaikh

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, a special MCOCA court granted bail to Zainul Shaikh, an accused in the 2011 Mumbai serial bomb blasts that targeted Dadar, Opera House, and Zaveri Bazar. Special Judge Satyanarayan R. Navander ordered the release on the ground of Shaikh's prolonged incarceration as an undertrial prisoner.

The triple bomb blasts occurred on July 13, 2011, killing 27 people and injuring 127 others. The probe into the attacks was handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Shaikh was arrested in 2012 and has remained in judicial custody ever since.

Shaikh’s defence lawyer argued that there was an undue delay in concluding the trial. The defence further contended that Shaikh is innocent, that there is no substantive evidence establishing his involvement, and that an alleged confessional statement from a co-accused was involuntary and unreliable. The defence requested bail on the grounds of parity, noting that other accused persons in the case had already been granted bail due to the delay.

Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Missar opposed the bail plea, arguing that sufficient evidence exists against Shaikh. Missar submitted that when co-accused were granted bail on trial delay grounds in April 2026, only 202 witnesses had been examined. He informed the court that 227 witnesses have now been examined, leaving only a few remaining, and asserted that the trial is likely to conclude soon.

Special Judge Navander rejected the prosecution’s contention that recent trial progress warranted denying bail. The judge noted that co-accused Naquee Ahmed and Haroon Naik had previously been granted bail on the sole ground of prolonged incarceration coupled with trial delay.

The court observed that examining 24 additional witnesses since the earlier order did not create a distinguishing circumstance sufficient to deny Shaikh the benefit of parity. The court emphasized that while the recent progress of the trial deserved appreciation, it could not erase the fact that Shaikh has undergone nearly 15 years of incarceration as an undertrial, maintaining that constitutional considerations regarding the prolonged deprivation of personal liberty remain unchanged.