India, Sept. 8 -- "I am struggling to find work," says Sajid Ansari, 49. Unlike millions of Mumbaiites grappling with a crowded job market, Ansari has another disadvantage. A former life convict in the Mumbai train blasts case, he must shed the tag of a "terror case accused" before he finds his footing again.

Ansari is one of 12 men acquitted on July 21, when the Bombay High Court set aside the judgement of a special court, which had convicted them of the July 11, 2006, serial train blasts that claimed 188 lives. Seven were awarded life terms, five the death sentence. Imprisoned in jails across the state, 10 of them walked free after 19 years, while one died in jail and one remains in prison, implicated in another case. Many are middle-a...