Mumbai: A day after demanding that he may be allowed to be physically produced in the court, Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday refused to appear via video link before the Bombay High Court, which is hearing arguments on confirmation of death sentence awarded to him in 26/11 case.
Soon after the proceedings began at 11 am, a jail authority told a division bench of justices Ranjana Desai and R V More that Kasab refused to attend the court.
Kasab, awarded death penalty by a trial court on May 6 for killing 166 people in the the Mumbai terror attacks, is lodged at the high-security Arthur Road prison in central Mumbai.
The convicted terrorist, who has been attending the high court proceeding via video conference, yesterday demanded that he may be allowed to be physically produced in the court and walked away in a huff after spitting at the webcam.
Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam continued with his arguments on the confirmation of Kasab's death sentence for the third day in a row.
Enumerating the terror unleashed by Kasab and his slain terrorist partner Abu Ismael at Cama hospital, Nikam submitted before the court statements of police officials including additional commissioner of police Sadanand Date who were engaged in a cross fire with the duo.
Lauding the presence of mind of nurses at the hospital who closed the gates of several floors in the hospital thus prohibiting the terrorist duo from entering, Justice Desai said, "They did a good job or else there would have been more damage."
In another development, Kasab's lawyer Amin Solkar today brought to the attention of the court that he was not allowed to meet his client yesterday on the ground that he had come after the closing hours of the prison.
The court said it would pass an order directing the jail authorities to permit Solkar to meet Kasab at any time.
The HC after hearing the arguments on confirmation of death penalty, would hear the petition filed by Kasab challenging his conviction and then the state's appeal against the acquittal of two other Indian national accused, Faheem
Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed.
Faheem and Sabauddin were accused of preparing maps of Mumbai and giving them to alleged operatives of LeT. The duo were however acquitted by the trial court due to lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, Faheem withdrew his petition complaining that he was handcuffed when he was brought from Uttar Pradesh to Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.
His lawyer R B Mokashi told the court that Faheem had filed the petition from the jail earlier and had now decided not to press the matter.
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