Plea against 26/11 twin acquittals filed,Kasab appeal soon

The prosecution had not announced the development as it did not wish to make “a big deal” and wanted to complete its duties in a “business-like manner” while maintaining a low profile,sources said.

Ansari,a resident of Goregaon (West),was accused of laying the groundwork for the 26/11 attack by surveying sites in the city and handing over their maps to Ahmed in Kathmandu; Ahmed then allegedly passed them on to his Pakistan-based handlers.

Ansari and Ahmed had faced the same 86 charges as Pakistani gunman Kasab,but were acquitted by special judge M L Tahaliyani who said there was no evidence to prove the charges.

Last week,the High Court had deferred the hearing of the confirmation case till August 12,as his appeal against the conviction and the government’s against the acquittals were yet to be filed.

Lawyers Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah,appointed by the Maharashtra State Legal Aid Services Authority to defend Kasab,have said they too would try and file the appeal on his behalf before the next hearing in the High Court.

The court had said it would keep the cases for admission on August 16 if all the appeals are filed by August 12.

Sources said the state is likely to file at some stage an application suggesting video-conferencing be used during the confirmation process,since transporting Kasab daily from prison would pose logistical problems and security risks.

Additional public prosecutor Shahaji Shinde will assist Nikam.