Court seeks details on boat hijacked by 26/11 terrorists
By IANSMonday, October 25, 2010
MUMBAI - The Bombay High Court Monday sought details about the probe relating to the fishing vessel ‘Kuber’ which was used by the 10 Pakistani terrorists to sail to Mumbai and carry out the Nov 26, 2008 terror attacks.
A division bench comprising Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R.V. More sought the details from government counsel Ujjwal Nikam while continuing the hearings in the confirmation of the death sentence awarded to the sole surviving terrorist, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab.
“We want to be very sure and clear because there is some confusion in our mind. This is a crucial aspect, even the trial judge has discarded the evidence of this panch witness,” Justice Desai observed, calling upon the prosecution to provide all the details by Tuesday.
Nikam stressed in his arguments that Kasab had confessed to slitting the throat of Amar Sinh Solanki, the navigator of ‘Kuber’ and keeping his body in the cabin.
He informed the court that the Indian Coast Guard had sighted ‘Kuber’ in the Arabian Sea the following day (Nov 27, 2008, a day after the terrorists arrived), at 1640 hours.
Later it was brought to Sasoon Dock in south Mumbai and a ‘panchnama’ of the vessel corroborated with Kasab’s subsequent statement.
Nikam said the trial court judge had discarded the panch evidence after observing that the prosecution had failed to prove that ‘Kuber’ was not tampered with after it was anchored at Sasoon Dock.
The high court then wanted to know that since the trial court judge had disbelieved the ‘panch’ evidence, then what did he say about the recovery of cellphones, satellite phones from ‘Kuber’ as the prosecution had connected all this to the main attacks conspiracy.
The matter will continue further in the Bombay High Court Tuesday.
On May 6, Kasab was awarded the death penalty for murdering 166 people during the 26/11 attack, and is presently lodged in the high-security Arthur Road prison.
