'I am happy that we are not favourites'
Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil said on Tuesday that the National Investigation Agency has not approached the state government so far to question the 26/11 terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab on his possible links with alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives David Headley and Tahawwur Rana.
The two lawyers appointed by the Bombay high court to argue Ajmal Kasab's appeal against his death sentence in the 26/11 attack case on Saturday met the Pakistani terrorist at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai. On June 8, the high court had appointed Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah as lawyers to argue Kasab's appeal. "We met Kasab for nearly 20 minutes in his cell and spoke to him about the case. We told him that the court had appointed both of us to argue his appeal," Shah said.
'The government must covertly eliminate the leaders of terrorist organisations abroad so as to eliminate the problem at its roots,' recommends Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam handed over a sealed envelope to Judge M L Tahiliani during the ongoing trial into the Mumbai terror attacks. He sought the judge's permission to keep the identities of six FBI agents, who are likely to depose during the trial, a secret.
Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab has complained to the special court that jail authorities are giving him food laced with drugs as a result of which he feels 'giddy.'
Pakistani authorities were on Saturday caught on the wrong foot as an anti-terror court hearing the 26/11 case was told that Interpol was yet to be approached for a Red Corner notice for Ajmal Kasab, weeks after they claimed the matter had been taken up with the Paris-based agency.
Flagging his stand on the sons-of-soil issue, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said on Wednesday that if Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab could learn Marathi in a year then why can't Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi who has been living in Mumbai for years.
The government has said that Ajmal Amir Kasab, who has been sentenced to death in the Mumbai terror attacks case, may be hanged in a year.
The government on Tuesday said that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror siege on Mumbai who was sentenced to death by a special anti-terror court last week, may be hanged by the end of this year, provided there is no legal bar."If there is no petition from him (Kasab) challenging the sessions court verdict in the higher court, he can be hanged by the year-end," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told a TV channel.
The special trial court in Mumbai on Wednesday rejected the petition of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested alive during the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, to examine Maharashtra Minister Narayan Rane as a defence witness.
Khurram Manzoor and Younus Khan scored half centuries as Pakistan made a strong reply to Zimbabwe's first innings total of 294 on the second day of the second Test at the Harare Sports Club, on Wednesday. At the close, Pakistan were 163 for 3, with Younus unbeaten on 52 and captain Misbah-ul-Haq on 27.
A jail in Bihar has offered to supply its famous 'manila' rope to hang Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror siege on Mumbai, who was awarded the death sentence by a special court on Thursday.Buxar prison is the only jail in the country that has expertise in manufacturing wax-coated manila rope, which can withstand the tension caused by the fall of the convict after the execution.Manufacturing a manila rope is a tedious affair.
Legal experts told rediff.com that there is no hard and fast rule that mercy petitions should be disposed off in order. The President can take a call and take up the matter out of turn. The President must be satisfied that there is an extraordinary circumstance concerning this case and hence it must be taken out of turn.
Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab should not be allowed to approach the Supreme Court and should be hanged publicly, says Kavita Karkare, wife of slain Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare. Reacting to the special court awarding the death sentence to Kasab, Kavita said, "I don't think this is the end of the chapter of 26/11. This is just the beginning. Now we should hang Kasab publicly and we should not give him a chance to go to the Supreme Court".
For Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, the death penalty to Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist in 26/11 attack, is a welcome step. But it cannot help in bringing back his daughter and son-in-law, who lost their lives in the 26/11 attacks. "It feels good that the court has awarded death sentence to the terrorist. But it does not comfort us because Gabi and Rivki cannot come back," Rabbi Shimon told PTI over the phone from Israel.
The judge rejected the argument saying there is no bona fide argument or evidence that Kasab did the act under duress or because of pressure from the LeT or its chief Hafeez Saeed. "There was no duress, no pressure on Kasab. Rather, when they were in Karachi their travel got delayed. At that time Kasab was anxious to attack India."
Judge M L Tahaliyani on Thursday awarded the death sentence to Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror siege on the city in November 2008, for the carnage that had claimed 166 lives.
The bottom line is that carrying out Kasab's death sentence is not going to bring closure to the 26/11 case. For that matter, the conviction of the terrorists being tried in Pakistan will not end the menace of terrorism in India. The real closure will come only with the closure of the Jihad factory in Pakistan, which in turn will happen only if Pakistan takes concerted and sincere efforts to de-radicalise its society and its polity, neither of which are on the anvil.
The prosecution in the 26/11 terror attacks case on Thursday sought imposition of a compensation on Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab for causing huge damage to property to the tune of Rs 155.73 crore during the attacks. But the court refused to consider the plea raising a query as to who would pay it.
The death sentence given to Ajmal Amir Kasab may take years to be executed as the lone captured terrorist of Mumbai attacks could be 30th in the list of prisoners who are waiting to be sent to the gallows. Thursday's order by judge M L Tahaliyani is the first step of a long process which will include appeals before higher courts and most importantly, if he exercises his right, a clemency petition before the President.
As Ajmal Kasab's trial comes to a close we catch up with 'Goli' Chauhan born just as the terrorists created havoc at Mumbai's Cama Hospital.
A decision on the issue of shifting Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was sentenced to death in the 26/11 case, outside Mumbai would be taken on Friday, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil said in Mumbai on Thursday.
In the wake of the sentencing of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 terror attacks, India on Thursday pressed for the extradition of his co-conspirators based in Pakistan, so that they could be brought to justice in New Delhi.External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said the trial and sentence awarded to Kasab sends a message to Pakistan that justice will be meted out to anyone waging war against this country.
The lawyer of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab said that he has the right to appeal against the death sentence served on him for Mumbai terror attacks but a decision was not taken as he has not spoken to his client.
Madan Laxmandas Tahiliyani, the judge who sent Ajmal Kasab to gallows, is versatile in both criminal and civil laws, an experience that came in handy during many a tricky moment during the Mumbai terror attack trial.
The usage of the phrase 'rarest of rare cases' has a very interesting history attached to it in India.
The death of the biggest mass murderer on Indian soil is evident with the special court handing out the death sentence to Ajmal Kasab. Even though he is a Pakistani national tried in the Indian court, all norms prescribed will apply to him since he has been convicted under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai terror attacks, has been sentenced to death -- the ultimate punishment available under the Indian Penal Code under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
A thick security blanket has been thrown in areas in the vicinity and checkpoints and security bunkers have been set up at all major junctions in the city.
Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive during the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai, has retracted from his guilt plea made in the trial court last July.
As Ajmal Kasab awaits punishment after being held guilty in the Mumbai attacks, the widow of an American killed in the terror strikes says she does not favour death penalty for the Pakistani gunman and prefers him to be jailed for life.
Former police officers and judges of the High Court and Supreme Court say that there is a need to bring back tougher laws since cases of terrorism have international ramification and under normal procedures there are too many obstacles that make the case of the prosecution extremely difficult.
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the Mumbai terror attack who was held guilty on Monday, is a school dropout who saw Jihad as the purpose of his life.Kasab, the face of the devastating terror siege on Mumbai in which 166 persons were killed, took part in the bloodiest episode of the 60-hour siege that started on the night of November 26, 2008.
Kasab, whose statement is being recorded by the court on evidences adduced by the prosecution, told Special Judge M L Tahaliyani that while one of the terrorists of the Taj hotel siege was a Kashmiri, another was from Gujarat.
Nikam, who has an enviable track record of securing death penalty for 37 accused and life term to 627 in his career spanning over three decades, is confident that Kasab, the lone 26/11 gunman captured, will be punished despite his repeated attempts to "misguide" the court.
Pakistan said on Sunaday that it will examine the findings of its probe into 26/11 on Monday as the media in Islamabad reported that the government will file cases against five Pakistanis, including lone captured terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, for planning the Mumbai attacks.
Three days before the anti-terror court pronounces its verdict, 23-year-old Vaishali Omble, daughter of the slain policeman, told PTI that her family will never forgive Kasab, who altered their lives forever.
"Why has Kasab been kept alive? He should not be shown any mercy and hanged without delay," says an angry Jamuna as she waits for justice to be done to her family five days from now when the anti-terror court is to pronounce its verdict in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case.
The Pakistani handlers of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, who attacked Mumbai during the 26/11 terror attacks, wanted to obtain the release of captured gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab in exchange for the hostages held by the terrorists, an indictment chargesheet for two suspects has said.
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