Kasab refuses to appear via video link before high court

Mumbai, Oct 20 (PTI) A day after demanding that he may
be allowed to be physically produced in the court, Pakistani
gunman Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday refused to appear via video
link before the Bombay High Court, which is hearing arguments
on confirmation of death sentence awarded to him in 26/11
case.
Soon after the proceedings began at 11 am, a jail
authority told a division bench of justices Ranjana Desai and
R V More that Kasab refused to attend the court.
Kasab, awarded death penalty by a trial court on May 6
for killing 166 people in the the Mumbai terror attacks, is
lodged at the high-security Arthur Road prison in central
Mumbai.
The convicted terrorist, who has been attending the
high court proceeding via video conference, on Tuesday
demanded that he may be allowed to be physically produced in
the court and walked away in a huff after spitting at the
webcam.
Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam
continued with his arguments on the confirmation of Kasab's
death sentence for the third day in a row.
Enumerating the terror unleashed by Kasab and his
slain terrorist partner Abu Ismael at Cama hospital, Nikam
submitted before the court statements of police officials
including additional commissioner of police Sadanand Date who
were engaged in a cross fire with the duo.
Lauding the presence of mind of nurses at the hospital
who closed the gates of several floors in the hospital thus
prohibiting the terrorist duo from entering, Justice Desai
said, "They did a good job or else there would have been more
damage."
In another development, Kasab's lawyer Amin Solkar
on Wednesday brought to the attention of the court that he was
not allowed to meet his client yesterday on the ground that he
had come after the closing hours of the prison.
The court said it would pass an order directing the
jail authorities to permit Solkar to meet Kasab at any time.
The HC after hearing the arguments on confirmation of
death penalty, would hear the petition filed by Kasab
challenging his conviction and then the state's appeal against
the acquittal of two other Indian national accused, Faheem
Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed.
Faheem and Sabauddin were accused of preparing maps of
Mumbai and giving them to alleged operatives of LeT. The duo
were however acquitted by the trial court due to lack of
evidence.
Meanwhile, Faheem withdrew his petition complaining
that he was handcuffed when he was brought from central Indian
state Uttar Pradesh to Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.
His lawyer R B Mokashi told the court that Faheem had
filed the petition from the jail earlier and had now decided
not to press the matter. PTI SP
HMI