Prosecution wraps it up,defence says Kasab not mentally fit for statement

Judge M L Tahaliyani asked if Pawar felt Kasab was a lunatic or mentally unstable; Pawar replied no. Tahaliyani made Kasab stand up and asked him if he was ill; he shook his head. Asked whether he would be ready to give an accused statement,he nodded.

“After 313 statements which are between the court and the accused,the defence might call witnesses. If Kasab agrees to all charges then my arguments would be limited. But anyway,it should not take much time now,” special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.

The last prosecution witness examined was ACP (Crime) Deven Bharti,who had approved proposals for prosecuting the accused under various acts before seeking government sanction. Also today but before Bharti,ACP Ashok Duraphe,chief investigating officer in the case,was examined.

“In the judicial history of India,this is the first time a terror case of such magnitude has been completed within seven months by examining 610 witnesses. I will give credit to the policemen who produced the witnesses in time and equally to the honourable judge who handled the case in an expeditious manner,”Nikam said.

“People were questioning why the trial was dragging for so many months. I have led evidence not only against Kasab but also against those Lashkar operatives against whom the trial is pending in Pakistan. This

would compel the government of Pakistan to use the evidence against those culprits as per the Pakistan criminal procedure code,” said Nikam.

Headley factor
The prosecution informed the court that it would seek a Letter Rogatory for details of the FBI investigation against alleged Lashkar operatives David Headley and Tahawur Rana,arrested in Chicago.