Mumbai: CCTV footages showing Pakistani
gunman Ajmal Kasab and his slain accomplice Abu Ismael
committing terror acts at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (SCT)
and surrounding areas will be screened in the Bombay High
Court on Monday.
Justices Ranjana Desai and R V More allowed the plea
of government Counsel Ujjwal Nikam to play the CDs in the post
lunch session Monday.
Nikam told the court that the CCTV footages provide
clinching evidence of Kasab and his partner creating terror in
important public places by killing people mercilessly.
The CCTV cameras installed at the CST and outside the
Times of India building (opposite CST) had captured Kasab and
Ismael moving around with guns and firing at people.
At CST, Kasab and Ismael had opened fire at people who
were waiting in the main hall for long distance trains on
November 26, 2008, killing 52 and injuring 108.
The duo came out from the rear entrance of CST and got
down from an over bridge near the Times of India building.
Their images were captured in CCTV camera installed there. The
film shows both of them moving around with guns.
Kasab had also fired shots at a photojournalist who
was clicking photographs of the two terrorists from the second
floor of the Times of India building. The photojournalist had
ducked in time and escaped unhurt.
Both CCTV footages were screened in the trial court
earlier. These will again be shown in the high court which is
hearing confirmation of death sentence awarded to Kasab.
Nikam told the court that the AK-47 rifle, recovered
from the Skoda car in which Kasab and his partner Abu Ismael
were trying to escape after the 26/11 terror attacks, belonged
to slain police officer Ashok Kamate.
Nikam said after killing Kamate and two other police
officers, Kasab and Ismael took away the AK-47 rifle from
Kamate. The duo then stole the Skoda car at gun point and sped
towards Girgaum Chowpatty where they were intercepted by
police.
Kasab had also told police in his confession that they
had taken away Kamate`s AK-47 rifle in the Skoda car. Besides,
a police report established that the butt number of Kamate`s
rifle matched with the gun seized by police from the car,
Nikam said.
However, Kasab had misled the trial court by saying he
was not aware how Kamate`s rifle was found in the car. Kasab
knew this but he could not give a satisfactory explanation how
Kamate`s rifle was found from the car in which he were trying
to escape, Nikam said in his arguments to justify the death
penalty given to Kasab.
Nikam cited a Supreme Court judgement in the Jessica
Lal murder case, saying the accused Manu Sharma had given a
false declaration that he could not account for the fire arm
found in his possession. The apex court had drawn adverse
inference against Sharma. Similarly, the high court should
also draw adverse inference against Kasab, Nikam argued.
PTI
