Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday directed police to produce Faheem Ansari, acquitted by a trial court of the charges of facilitating 26/11 attacks, before it on Tuesday to verify police claims that he was holding a fake Pakistani passport on which his photograph was affixed.
The direction was given by Justices Ranjana Desai and R V More, who said they would verify Faheem`s face with the photograph appearing on the "fake" Pakistani passport.
The prosecution`s case is that Faheem, a suspected member of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, had procured a passport in Pakistan in the assumed name of Hassan Hamad and that the travel document carried the photograph of Faheem.
The then Interior Minister of Pakistan had confirmed to Indian High Commissioner that the passport was issued on the strength of fake documents given by applicant (Faheem).
Government Counsel Ujjwal Nikam argued that Faheem may be produced in the High Court so that the Judges can see Faheem and verify his photograph affixed on the passport.
Faheem is lodged in Arthur Road Central Jail here after he was brought from Uttar Pradesh, where he was arrested in other terror cases.
Meanwhile, the Judges informed Nikam that they had already visited the 26/11 terror sites to get a first hand impression of the topography. They said they had gone to Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway terminus holding platforms tickets and paid a surprise visit by not informing authorities.
The HC is hearing confirmation of death sentence given to Pak terrorist Ajmal Kasab for his role in the attacks. His appeal against the penalty and state`s plea against acquittal of Faheem and Sabauddin Ahmed are also being heard.
PTI
