Framed and forgotten: A timeline of Indian Muslim men wrongfully jailed for terrorism

India (MNTV) – Across India, Muslim men have been disproportionately targeted under stringent anti-terror laws like TADA, POTA, and UAPA. Often arrested on flimsy evidence or none at all, many were minors or students at the time of detention.

Their trials dragged on for years, and in several cases, they were acquitted only after courts found no evidence or declared the arrests unlawful. This timeline documents over 30 Indian Muslim men whose lives were derailed by wrongful imprisonment—and whose eventual acquittals came too late to restore what was lost.

Acquittal Timeline of Indian Muslim Men

1994 – Nisaruddin Ahmad

• Arrested at 19 in train bombing cases linked to post-Babri violence.
• Acquitted: May 2016 by Supreme Court
• Jail Time: 23 years

Feb 1994 – Jamil Ahmad Khan & 10 others

• Accused of revenge attacks post-Babri demolition under TADA.
• Acquitted: Feb 2019, Nashik TADA court
• Jail Time: 25 years

1996/97 – Abdul Ghani, Mirza Nisar Hussain, Mohammad Ali Bhatt, Latif Ahmed Waja, Javed Khan, Raees Beg

• Arrested in the Salmeti bomb blast case.
• Acquitted: July 2019
• Jail Time: 23 years

Note: Four were also convicted in the Lajpat Nagar blast case and remain imprisoned.

1998 – Mohammed Amir Khan

• Arrested at 18 in multiple fabricated terror cases.
• Acquitted: 2012; awarded ₹5 lakh compensation
• Jail Time: 14 years

2000 – Rehmana Yusuf Farooqi

• Charged in the Red Fort conspiracy case.
• Acquitted: 2006, Delhi High Court
• Jail Time: 6 years

2000 – Ashfaq Nanhey & Mohammad Waris

• Accused of sheltering an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad militant.
• Acquitted: Aug 2019, Allahabad HC
• Jail Time: 19 years

2000 – Syed Abdul Mubeen

• Accused in bombings across Uttar Pradesh.
• Acquitted: After a 17-year legal battle
• Jail Time: 8 years

2001 – Syed Wasif Haider

• Arrested under 12 charges including sedition and murder.
• Acquitted: August 2009
• Jail Time: 8 years

2001 – Mumtaz Ahmad

• Accused of storing explosives.
• Acquitted: Feb 2011, Allahabad HC
• Jail Time: 10 years

2001 – Gulzar Ahmad Wani

• Charged in 15 terror-related cases including the Sabarmati Express blast.
• Acquitted: May 2017
• Jail Time: 16 years

Dec 2001 – Surat SIMI Case

• 127 Muslims detained under UAPA.
• Acquitted: 2021 by Surat court; five died during trial.
• Jail Time: Up to 19 years

2002 – Akshardham Temple Attack (6 men)

• Three sentenced to death, two to life, one to 10 years.
• Acquitted: May 2014, Supreme Court
• Jail Time: 11 years

2003 – Adnan Mulla

• Initially a witness in Mulund blast case, later accused.
• Acquitted: 2009
• Jail Time: 6 years

2003 – Hanif Pakitwala & Habib Hawa

• Accused in 2002 Ahmedabad tiffin bomb blasts under POTA.
• Acquitted: 2017 by Supreme Court
• Jail Time: 13 years

2005 – Tariq Ahmad Dar

• Arrested in Delhi Sarojini Nagar blast case.
• Acquitted: Feb 2017
• Jail Time: 12 years

2005 – Muhammad Hussain Fazli

• Accused as mastermind of Delhi serial blasts.
• Acquitted: Feb 2017
• Jail Time: 12 years

2005 – Irshad Ali & Maurif Qamar

• Alleged Al-Badr links.
• Acquitted: 2017 after CBI clean chit
• Jail Time: 11 years

2005 – Haroon Rashid, Md Iftikhar, Masood Ahmed, Dilawar Khan

• Accused in an IMA building terror plot.
• Acquitted: 2010
• Jail Time: 5 years

2006 – Malegaon Blast Case (1st Set)

• Nine Muslim men charged under MCOCA.
• Acquitted: 2016
• Jail Time: 10 years

Sep 2006 – Abdul Wahid Shaikh

• Arrested in Mumbai train bombings (7/11).
• Acquitted: Sep 2015
• Jail Time: 9 years

2006 – Mehboob Ibrahim & Saab Chopdar

• Accused in IISc Bengaluru terror attack.
• Acquitted: 2011
• Jail Time: 5 years

2007 – Ajmer Dargah Blast Accused

• Initially blamed on Muslim youth; later shifted to Hindutva extremists.
• Acquitted: By 2019
• Jail Time: 9–12 years

2007 – Mecca Masjid Blast Accused

• Arrested in Hyderabad blast case.
• Acquitted: April 2018, NIA court
• Jail Time: ~10–11 years

2008 – Batla House Aftermath: Zeeshan & Saquib

• Arrested following controversial encounter.
• Acquitted: 2010
• Jail Time: 2 years

2008 – Amanullah Ansari

• Accused in Jaipur serial bombings.
• Acquitted: Nov 2011
• Jail Time: 3 years

2008 – Gulab Khan

• Charged with storing weapons and planning terror attack.
• Acquitted: 2019
• Jail Time: 11 years

2010 – Mohammad Riyaz Khan & Abdul Sayeed

• Accused of terror conspiracy in Hyderabad.
• Acquitted: June 2017
• Jail Time: ~7 years

2010 – Bashir Ahmad Baba

• Kashmiri man accused under UAPA while in Gujarat.
• Acquitted: 2021
• Jail Time: 11 years

2012 – Irfan & Ilyas

• Accused of LeT links and murder conspiracy.
• Acquitted: 2021
• Jail Time: 9 years

2016 – Maulana Kaleemuddin, Mansoor & Abdul Shami

• Arrested under UAPA in Jamshedpur.
• Acquitted: 2025
• Jail Time: 9 years