Mumbai – Abdul Wahid Shaikh, the only accused acquitted in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case, has renewed his call for compensation after spending nine years in prison before his release in 2015. Writing in *The Quint*, Shaikh described how wrongful incarceration shattered his family, left him in debt, and deprived him of the most crucial years of his life.
Shaikh was arrested in 2006 and acquitted in 2015, but by then, his wife had been forced to work in a small Urdu school to support their children, and his family had sunk into financial hardship. Even after release, he struggled to find employment and continued to face the social stigma of wrongful imprisonment. “Freedom meant only that I was free from prison, not from the clutches of social and economic hardship,” he wrote.
He is now demanding Rs 9 crore as compensation, one crore for each year spent behind bars. His demand is not only for personal relief but also to set a precedent. “If investigative agencies knew they would be held accountable for wrongful prosecution, they would think twice before destroying lives,” he argued.
Shaikh highlighted that India has failed to enact a law despite being bound by Article 14(6) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified in 1979. In contrast, countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany provide statutory compensation for wrongful incarceration. He urged the Indian state to accept responsibility and provide both apology and restitution, calling it essential for restoring faith in the justice system.
