26/11 ATTACKS: Prosecution completes arguments

The prosecution in the 26/11 attacks case on Wednesday completed its arguments before the Bombay high court on the state government’s appeal against the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed. HT reports.

The prosecution in the 26/11 attacks case on Wednesday completed its arguments before the Bombay high court on the state government’s appeal against the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed.

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The duo was charged with providing local support for the attacks carried out by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) men, including the sole surviving attacker, Ajmal Amir Kasab. The prosecution’s case was that Ansari had conducted a recce of important locations in the city and supplied some hand drawn maps to their LeT bosses across the border through Ahmed.

During his week-long arguments, special public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, pointed out 21 items of circumstantial evidence supporting the prosecution case against the two locals.

Nikam submitted the trial judge had erred in acquitting the co-accused. “Rejecting the evidence of the map seized from deceased terrorist Abu Ismail was completely erroneous,” Nikam said. The trial court had rejected the evidence because the seized map had no wrinkles or bloodstains on it — suggesting the police had planted it to frame the two locals.

Nikam, however, claimed that the map had no wrinkles for obvious reasons. “It was prized currency for them because it showed the targets of attacks, which he would have preserved at any cost.”

He also relied on Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab’s confessional statement to highlight the maps were actually prepared by Ansari and sent to LeT, through Ahmed to Pakistan.

The division bench of justice Ranjana Desai and justice RV More, which is seized of a reference for confirmation of death sentence awarded to the Pakistani national.

The defence lawyers have been told by the court to open arguments on Thursday.