Kasab got a fair trial, says Maha govt

Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was on Monday held guilty in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case, was given a fair trial, Maharashtra government said.

"Kasab was given a fair trial. It was not as if he was caught and hanged or shot," Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said reacting to the special court verdict.

"Our democracy has given a chance to Kasab. We produced papers, photographs, witnesses in court," Bhujbal said. Asked whether he feels the verdict took a long time to come, Bhujbal said, "We wanted to prove to the world that here is a guy who came from Pakistan and committed the heinous crime."

The state government also said the Centre should ask Pakistan to hand over to it the 20 accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial. "We will request the Centre to ask Pakistan to hand over the 20 accused in that country," Home Minister R R Patil told PTI.

"Maharashtra government will decide in a day or two on the issue of appealing against the acquittal of Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed," Patil said.

The two co-accused got benefit of doubt, Patil said. "We have solid evidence against both." Asked if the two were framed, Patil said they were caught by Uttar Pradesh Police which found maps in their possession.

On the murder probe of accused Ansari's lawyer Shahid Azmi who was shot dead at his office in suburban Kurla in February, Patil said police "once the murder probe is finished, more things will come to light."

Seventeen months after he and nine other perpetrators unleashed death and devastation on the financial nerve centre of the country, a special anti-terror court convicted 22-year-old Kasab for the carnage.

Two alleged Indian conspirators -- Sabauddin Ahmed and Faheem Ansari -- who were claimed to have prepared the maps of the terror targets and handed those over to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba 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.

Kasab was captured alive from Girgaum-Chowpatty police barricade following an encounter after he and his accomplice Abu Ismael had killed several people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, in and outside Cama Hospital and Metro Junction during the terror attacks.