26/11 trial over
May 3 judgment day for Kasab
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, March 31
The nearly year-long trial in the sensational 26/11 case that saw several ups and downs, including prime accused Ajmal Kasab retracting his confession, concluded here on Wednesday with special judge ML Tahaliyani reserving the judgment and fixing May 3 for pronouncing the verdict.

Two Indians, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, have also been charged with providing support to terrorists, who carried out the audacious attacks on November 26, 2008, leaving more than 166 persons dead.

The court, if it holds the three accused guilty on May 3, would call upon the prosecution and defence lawyers to put forth arguments on the quantum of sentence.

Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said he was happy over conclusion of the trial in the shortest possible time.

“While opening my argument, I had said it was a classic case of state-sponsored terrorism in which the apparatus of the Pakistani Army was involved, a fact that was established when David Headly admitted it before a Chicago court days later,” Nikam he told reporters outside the court. The prosecution examined as many as 658 witnesses, including 30 eyewitnesses to prove its case that Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) carried out the strikes, said Nikam.

According to the prosecution, Kasab, the lone Pakistani gunman to be taken alive, and nine others landed at Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai and went on a shooting spree.