The Maharashtra government is planning to shift Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted in the 26/11 case, from the high-security Arthur Road jail to one of the convicts' prisons outside Mumbai, official sources said here on Friday.
The Arthur Road jail is meant for undertrials, where many high-profile accused have been lodged.
“We will shift him. The only question is when and where,” the official said.
Earlier, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy had said shifting Kasab to a prison for convicts would entail replicating the security arrangements at the Arthur Road jail elsewhere. He said the government could declare a part of a prison meant for undertrials as convicts' prison, a possibility the State is not inclined to exploit.
Security risk
Moreover, in view of the security risk posed by the presence of the lone surviving terrorist and the long-standing problems faced by the citizens of Arthur Road, the government is keen on shifting him out of the city.
The government would also have to factor in the likely summons of the Bombay High Court to Kasab if he goes on appeal. He has three months to move the High Court, which is on vacation until next month.
The State has also asked for the Centre's nod to continue the tenure of the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) at the Arthur Road jail. The ITBP was initially meant to be in charge of the security only till the end of the 26/11 trial.
