26/11 case: Ansari remanded in judicial custody

Faheem Ansari, who was acquitted in the 26/11 terror attack case, was on Thursday produced before a sessions court here after the high court admitted an appeal filed by the state challenging his acquittal.

The sessions court had on August 29 issued production warrants against Faheem and Sabauddin as the Bombay High Court had admitted the prosecution's appeal against their acquittal in the terror attack case.

Faheem and co-accused Sabauddin Ahmed, soon after their acquittal in the 26/11 terror case in May, were transferred to a jail in Uttar Pradesh in connection with a case of firing at CRPF camp in Rampur.

Faheem was produced before Principal Judge of the sessions court, M L Tahalayani, who was also the trial judge in the 26/11 case.

The court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days and directed for him to be lodged at the Arthur Road jail in central Mumbai. Sabauddin would be brought from Uttar Pradesh and produced before the court after a few days.

The duo was accused of preparing maps of the city and providing them to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives, who allegedly perpetrated the attack on Mumbai.

While Faheem and Sabauddin were acquitted in the 26/11 case due to weak evidence, lone surviving Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab was convicted and awarded the death penalty.

Ten Pakistani gunmen had laid a 60-hour siege in the city killing 166 persons and injuring several others on November 26, 2008.