26/11: Supreme Court upholds Kasab's death sentence

      

Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab is seen at the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station during the Mumbai terror attacks. File photo: AP

Prosecution lawyer Gopal Subramaniam, second from left, along with senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, right, who had been appointed amicus curiae by the Supreme Court to defend Mohammed Ajmal Kasab address the media outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo:AP

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack convict Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, saying that waging war against the country was the primary and foremost offence committed by the Pakistani terrorist.

A bench of justices Aftab Alam and C K Prasad dismissed the plea of 25-year-old Kasab challenging his conviction and death sentence confirmed by the Bombay High Court.

The bench rejected his contention that he was not given a free and fair trial in the case.

The bench also observed that the failure of government to provide him an advocate at the pre-trial stage did not vitiate trial court proceedings against him.

It also held that the confessional statement given by Kasab, which he retracted during the trial, was very much voluntary except a very small portion.

Indians’ acquittal upheld

The apex court also upheld the acquittal of two Indians, who were alleged to be co-conspirators in the Mumbai terror attack case.

The trial court and Bombay High Court had also given clean chit to Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed in the case.

The bench held that the evidence showed the conspiracy and planning of the 26/11 carnage was hatched in Pakistan.

Reacting to the verdict, senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who was appointed by the apex court as amicus curiae to defend Kasab, said, “I bow down to the apex court verdict.”

Kasab along with nine other Pakistani terrorists had landed in south Mumbai on November 26, 2008 night after travelling from Karachi by sea and had gone on a shooting spree at various city landmarks, in which 166 people were killed.

While Kasab was captured alive, the other terrorists in his group were killed by security forces during the counter-terror operations.