Thirteen years after 12 well co-ordinated terror attacks rocked Mumbai and resulted in the death of almost 175 people, the trial is still going on before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court.
The trial essentially against Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative who allegedly coordinated the 26/11 terror attacks from Karachi, has been stayed by the Bombay High Court on April 20, 2018.
The High Court stayed the proceedings as the Delhi police’s petition against a Sessions Court order is pending. The lower court had asked the police to provide the accused the travel documents of his trip from Saudi Arabia to Delhi in 2012. The Delhi police’s Special Cell had approached the High Court earlier this month claiming privilege over the documents and urging it to quash the trial court’s order.
On April 9, 2018, the last witness to depose before the NIA court was Jundal’s childhood friend who told the court that he recognised Jundal’s voice in a 28-minute recording played in the court. It was a conversation that took place in a control room in Pakistan from where Jundal had allegedly given instructions to the terrorists during the attack.
In February 2016, a crucial witness, David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, named Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed as the head of the LeT and his chief operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. Headley is convicted in the U.S. for his role in the Mumbai attacks and was deposing from an undisclosed location. He had described the LeT as “a militant organisation in Pakistan, whose goal is to fight the Indian Army and assist the people of Kashmir” and who carried out terror activities “all over India”.
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said even after 13 years, there has been no headway with Pakistan on Saeed and Lakhvi. He told The Hindu , “From David Headley, we have gathered all the evidence and email correspondence from the ISI and the LeT and everything is shared with Pakistan but they are not acting upon it. We have also requested them to examine Headley to have a concrete case against Saeed and Lakhvi but they are in a state of denial.”
While Jundal continues to be lodged at the Arthur Road Jail, 15 more witnesses are yet to be examined.
