Seventeen months after the terror mayhem in India’s financial and entertainment capital, comes the moment the entire nation has waited for.
On Monday, designated judge M L Tahilyani delivering the verdict on Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, captured after the bloody siege by 10 ultras whose live TV coverage had much of the world in thrall for three days from November 26, 2008.
Two Indians - Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed - are also facing charges of conspiring to kill 167 people, including 25 foreign nationals from countries like US, Israel, Canada, Japan etc. in the attack.
The trial, perhaps the fastest in a terror case in India, began on May 8, 2009 in a special court set up at Arthur Road Jail which recorded 3,192 pages of evidence after examining 658 witnesses on 271 working days.
The evidence and the final arguments in the case were completed on March 31, 2010, after nearly seven months of hearing. During the trial, as many as 653 witnesses were examined by the prosecution and a 675-page written submission was filed.
The witnesses included survivors, eyewitnesses, family members of the victims, police officials, several foreign nationals, Indian security officials and officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Kasab has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including waging war against the nation. He is also charged under the Explosives Act, the Arms Act, the Passport Act, the Prevention of Damage to Public Properties Act, the Customs Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Bombay Police Act, the Foreigners Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The two Indian co-accused have been charged with conspiracy in the terror attacks - preparing maps of the targeted locations and handing these to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives.
Kasab seemed to enjoy the trial. At various times, he was seen laughing and giggling in court. He also complained of bad food, illness and attempts to poison him. All this prompted Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to call Kasab “an actor par excellence” several times.