26/11: Lawyer appointed for Qasab, trial to begin on Apr 6

The trial of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone arrested terrorist in the November 26 terror strikes, will begin on April 6 in a special high security court in Arthur Road Jail here.

The trial of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone arrested terrorist in the November 26 terror strikes, will begin on April 6 in a special high security court in Arthur Road Jail here.

26/11 terrorist Mohammed Amir Qasab's government-appointed lawyer Anjali Waghmare speaks to television channels outside Sessions Court on Monday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

Judge ML Tahiliyani, while deciding on the date for the start of the trial, said a lawyer from the Maharashtra Service Legal Authority, Anjali Waghmare, has been appointed to represent him.

Tahiliyani informed Qasab that advocate Waghmare from the state legal aid would represent him and another lawyer would be appointed to assist her.

Qasab, who was not produced before the court due to security concerns, attended proceedings through video conferencing from the Arthur Road Jail.

The court informed Qasab that his lawyer would brief him on April 6 on the day the trial begins. She would also assist him in reading the police chargesheet as she was familiar with Marathi and English languages, it said.

Waghmare was also present during the video conferencing and was introduced to Qasab, who said he had no objection to her appointment as his lawyer.

When asked if he had anything else to say, Qasab said, "I want newspapers." However, the court told him that his plea could be taken up during the trial.

The security for the special court in Arthur Road Jail, where the trial of 1993 serial blasts case was also held, has also been beefed up.

Qasab, a resident of Faridkot in Pakistan, has been lodged in a high security cell in the same jail. Two other Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives - Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, who were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police, will also face trial for allegedly providing support for the terror strikes in which 183 people were killed.

Ansari, who also attended court proceedings through video conferencing, said that he wanted state legal aid only if they would appoint advocates of his choice.

He demanded appointment of one of the three advocates: Sudeep Pasbola, Mubin Solkar or Hyder Ali Momin to represent him failing which he would retain his present advocate Ejaz Naqvi. However, Sabauddin told the court that he would like to continue with Naqvi as his lawyer.