The Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving gunman from the attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai in November 2008.
Mr. Kasab, who is Pakistani, was convicted in May 2010 by a trial court in Mumbai of murder, conspiracy and waging war against India, and was sentenced to death. He appealed to the Maharashtra High Court, which upheld the sentence, and then to the Supreme Court. Mr. Kasab is on a list of more than 300 prisoners on death row in India.
Gopal Subramanium, the additional solicitor general of India, who argued the state's case, called the Supreme Court's ruling “a victory of the administration of justice.†Mr. Kasab was provided legal assistance by the government throughout the trial.
Mr. Kasab, along with nine other gunmen from Pakistan, entered Mumbai by sea and began killing people at several locations in the cit y, including the famous Taj Hotel. The attacks, which Indian officials say was directed from a control room in Karachi, Pakistan, continued for three days. Mr. Kasab was captured alive, but the nine other gunmen were killed.
The Mumbai attack worsened the always-tense diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.Â
Ujjawal Nikam, who served as the special public prosecutor at the trial court level, said Wednesday, “This is a very good judgment and I am very satisfied by it. We have proved in the court that Ajmal Kasab and his nine colleagues were helped by Pakistan even during the actual crime.â€Â
Raju Ramachandran, the lawyer for Mr. Kasab, said “I bow to the verdict of court. We all take pride in a justice system which stands by due process.â€
In India, it can take many years for a death sentence to be carried out. Mr. Kasab has the right to appeal to the president of India for clemency, but that process, too, can be very slow â€" th ere are decades-old clemency petitions that have yet to be ruled on.
