Prosecution winds up 26/11 case; Kasab statement on Dec 18

Seven months into the trial of the 26/11 terror attacks, the prosecution today winded up its case before a special court which fixed December 18 to record the statement of lone surviving Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab.

The prosecution wrapped up examination of evidences and a total of 610 witnesses against Kasab and two Indian accused-- Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed.

The court will record the statement of Kasab under Section 313 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on the evidences and witnesses produced by the prosecution on December 18.

Kasab's lawyer K P Pawar, however, argued that the trial should proceed only after Kasab is medically fit.

Special Judge M L Tahilyani then asked Kasab if he was ill, to which the Pakistani national replied in the negative and said he was fit to give his statement.

"The trial began on May 8 and in about seven months the prosecution today closed the case," Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.

The prosecution's aim was not only to prove the case against Kasab, but also expose the prime conspirators from Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), he said.

"Kasab is one of the instruments of the terror outfit. He and the nine other slain terrorists were a small part of LeT which wanted to inflict serious damage to India by attacking its commercial capital," Nikam told PTI.