Kasab’s lawyers welcome execution, question secrecy

November 21, 2012 01:50 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 04:35 am IST - Mumbai

Defence lawyers, who appeared for Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab in the sessions and Bombay High Court here, today welcomed his execution and said that by taking his case out of turn, the government has brought some peace to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack.

Defence lawyers Amin Solkar, Farhana Shah and Abbas Kazmi, however, raised questions on the secrecy over the hanging.

“It is good that the government expedited this case as it must have been done in the interest of the society and victims. May be guarding him for so long was becoming a burden on the exchequer. But why the secrecy ?” Mr Solkar asked.

Endorsing Mr Solkar’s view, Farhana Shah said, “I was shocked. It was all of a sudden. Why was the execution shrouded in such secrecy.”

Mr Solkar and Ms Shah defended Kasab in the High Court after they were appointed by it to appear for the accused.

Mr Kazmi, who appeared for Kasab before the sessions court, opined that the government might have taken Kasab’s mercy petition out of turn as it was an exceptional case.

“This case had international ramifications also. The common man was waiting for this execution. Even the victims will be at some peace now,” he said.

Kasab was hanged this morning at Pune’s Yerwada prison, four years after the November 26 terror attack. Kasab was awarded the death penalty by the sessions court in May 2010 which was confirmed by the Bombay High Court in February last year and then by the Supreme Court. His mercy petition was last week rejected by the President.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.