Web Exclusive: Ajmal Kasab and the taxpayers money

For Qaidi No C-7096 lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, known to the outside world as Ajmal Kasab, the morning of November 21, 2012 was a fateful one. The prime accused in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai was hanged at the Yerwada Jail in Pune at 7:30 am this morning.

Ajmal Kasab, who until recently was in a solitary confinement in a bomb-proof egg-shaped cell at the Arthur Road Jail, filed a mercy plea petition in September 2012. The Union Home Ministry had rejected the petition in October 2012. President Pranab Mukherjee also rejected the plea on November 8.

Before Kasab, the last person to walk to the gallows at Pune's Yerwada Jail was Alibaug–based Sudhakar Joshi on August 26, 1995. For the country, the most recent case, was that of Dhananjoy Chatterjee at Kolkata's Alipore Central Jail for the 1990 rape-murder of 14-year-old Hetal Parekh.

Kasab’s hanging now plugs a hole at the exchequer’s end as far as the money being spent on his “maintenance” is concerned. According to news reports, Maharashtra government had so far spent Rs 53.5 crore on him, even though official estimates peg the total amount at Rs 20 crore. (Read: Maharashtra government has spent Rs 53 crore on Kasab so far)

In a more recent development, the Maharashtra government had refused to foot the Rs 19.28 crore bill sent by ITBP towards reimbursing expenses for guarding him and wanted the Centre to waive the amount. (Read: Maharashtra won't foot Kasab's security bill)