Acquittal will be challenged: Nikam

Indian Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam gestures as he arrives at the the special court set up for the trial of a Pakistani accused of being the sole surviving gunman in the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 3, 2010. The verdict in the trial of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, allegedly one of ten gunmen who killed 166 people in a three day rampage in November 2008, which continues to strain relations between India and Pakistan, is expected Monday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Hailing the conviction of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab for the Mumbai attacks, Special Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on Monday said the acquittal of two others in the case will be challenged in a higher court.

“I am very happy (about conviction of Kasab). But I regret the acquittal of two other accused Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed. The court has given them benefit of doubt. We will challenge their acquittal,” Nikam said.

“I will recommend to the government to challenge the acquittal of the two in a higher court,” he said.

Mr. Nikam said the court has not accepted certain circumstantial evidence but hoped that the higher judiciary would accept those.

On conviction of Kasab, he said the Pakistani national was a symbol of terrorism and the verdict has unmasked those who were part of the conspiracy.

Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 gunman, was today convicted by a special court here for the audacious Mumbai attacks that had left 166 people dead.

The court also held that 20 of the wanted accused, including LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, operations chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Abu Hamza, were involved in 26/11 conspiracy.

However, two alleged Indian conspirators — Ahmed and Ansari — who were claimed to have prepared the maps of the terror targets and handed those over to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba for execution of their plans, were acquitted of all charges as the court said the evidence produced by the prosecution could not be relied upon.