The statement made by Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil that judgement in 26/11 terror attack case is likely to be delivered by September 15 has created a flutter in the trial court with the prosecutor saying Patil had been misquoted by the media.
The lone surviving gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab and two other suspected members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Faheem Ansari and Shahbuddin Ahmed are undergoing the trial.
While judge M.L. Tahaliyani said in the court on Tuesday that the judgement cannot be delivered so soon and wondered how the minister made such a statement, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam informed that he had personally talked to the minister who clarified that the media misquoted him.
“Your Home Minister makes a statement that the case will be over by September 15 but his officer has still not submitted documents in the court,” the judge observed.
However, Mr. Nikam told the court that Mr. Patil had remarked about recording of evidence to be over by September 15 and not about the delivery of judgement.
The judge referred to the minister’s statement while observing that the opinion of a ballistic expert was not submitted to the court by the Investigating Officer in the case.
Mr. Nikam pointed out that the documents had already been filed and the officer concerned was not aware about them as he was on leave.
The prosecution has examined 157 witnesses so far pertaining to incidents such as CST firing, indiscriminate firing at Cama hospital, attack outside the hospital, stealing of Skoda car and the killing of Amarsing Solanki, the navigator of MV Kuber.
Two FBI officers and three U.S. nationals have also been examined.
The incidents such as terror attacks at Taj hotel, Oberoi hotel, Nariman house and explosions in two taxis are yet to be proved.
