The renovated courtroom now has sealed windows, new flooring, freshly painted walls and even an AC!
The renovated courtroom now has sealed windows, new flooring, freshly painted walls and even an AC!
While Mumbaikars outside Arthur Road jail grapple with the sweltering heat and the traffic snarls that are bound
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Jailer Sahiba: Arthur Road Jail superintendent Swati Satheu00a0 with top police officials inspecting the security arrangements for Qasab's trial.
PIC/Shadab Khan |
to crop up during the trial, an air-conditioned courtroom awaits Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab.
It is not only the Arthur Road jail that was renovated for the security of the lone surviving 26/11 terrorist. Even the courtroom at the erstwhile special TADA court has undergone a makeover.
The AC courtroom comes with sealed windows, new flooring and freshly painted walls. Keeping security in mind, the authorities have built a bombproof cave from his cell (see Other security measures) to the courtroom.
The cave and the sealed windows are to ensure that Qasab is not exposed to the outside world at any point during the trial.u00a0
An officer from the Crime Branch said the changes have been made, as Qasab is one of the biggest catches for Mumbai police. "We cannot risk keeping the windows open. The other renovations that were done were long due."u00a0 The 26/11 has an 11,000-page charge sheet listing 2,202 witnesses.
The trial may not start today because the special court is yet to decide a petition seeking to debar lawyer Anjali Waghmare from defending Qasab on grounds of 'professional misconduct'.
Other security measures
Qasab has been moved to a heavily-fortified bunker that is closed to outside view.
The bunker can withstand attacks by missiles, grenades and heavy gunfire.
The construction and installation of the cell has cost the government over Rs 50 lakh.
A dozen closed circuit cameras will monitor every move when he is not in the courtroom.
He will be guarded round-the-clock by a team of 60 commandos of the Indo Tibetan Border Police.
The commandos will form a cordon around the courtroom during the trials.
Qasab cleans up for trial
Sporting a clean-shaven look and clad in the striped prisoner's garb, Qasab has been waiting out the days to his trial by reading the Quran and staring out of his cell.
As the day of the trial got closer, Qasab spent a lot of time poring over the holy book of Islam. And whenever he kept the book aside, he stood gripping the bars of his cell and observed the cops guarding him. On rare occasions he even talked to them.u00a0 Qasab will be shifted from his Anda cell room to a new high-security prison next to the special court abutting the Arthur road jail for the duration of the trial.
The jail authorities are also planning to bring back the 180-odd prisoners who had been shifted out of Arthur Road Jail to make space for Qasab.
Did you know?
According to senior police official, a similar renovation was done at the special TADA court during the 1993 blasts trial
