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Home ministry official to appear as witness in 26/11 case

Last updated on: December 07, 2009 23:52 IST

A senior home ministry official will appear as witness on Tuesday in a special 26/11 court to throw light on the sanction given to prosecute Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab and two others on the charge of "waging war against the nation".

In a case of criminal conspiracy hatched outside India, sanction of the central government is necessary under the laws to prosecute an accused.

In this case, MHA Joint Secretary (Judicial) Shashi Bhushan as a competent authority had granted sanction to prosecute Kasab, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed. Bhushan would be examined to throw light on this aspect, said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

Kasab is facing the charges of killing 166 people in the Mumbai attacks, while Faheem and Sabauddin have been charged with preparing maps of targets and handing them over to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to carry out the strikes.

Kasab, who has not been keeping well for past three days, came to court on Monday wearing a dark blue woolen sweater.

On Friday, he had informed Judge M L Tahaliyani he had fever and the court had asked the jail doctor to treat him.

Four doctors deposed in the court on Monday to tender corroborative evidence on victims, who were injured by bullets allegedly fired by Kasab and slain terrorist Abu Ismail at Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus and Cama Hospital.

Earlier, the injured persons had told the court that they were wounded in terror attacks. Some of them had even identified Kasab in the court.

Dr Atul Jaiswal, Dr Basappa Natraj, Dr Harshal Gavane and Dr Bhandari said they had treated the victims in government hospitals.

One of these victims was Harishchandra Srivardhankar, who had fought with Abu Ismail in Cama Hospital with bare hands. Ismail shot at him, but Srivardhan survived the attack as he fell unconscious and the terrorist assumed he was dead. 
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