Defence lawyer seeks to prolong 26/11 trial

The trial in the 26/11 terror attack case may get prolonged after the defence told the court on Tuesday, that it would cross-examine 69 witnesses.

The prosecution had submitted on on Monday, the affidavits of 340 witnesses, divided into 12 categories which included claimants of the dead bodies, the panch witnesses at the inquest, injured persons who were not eye-witnesses, carriers of seized materials to forensic lab, among others.

Out of the 200 witnesses from four categories, surviving Lashkar-e-Tayiba gunman Ajmal Kasab's lawyer K P Pawar said he would cross-examine 69 witnesses. These witnesses include the inquest panch and the injured witnesses from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Cama hospital.

Judge M L Tahilyani issued summons to the 69 witnesses directing them to remain present on December 3 and 4.